Joyce Matsumoto Obituary

JOYCE KUNIKO MATSUMOTO Joyce Kuniko Matsumoto born on May 24, 1949 to the late Rev and Mrs Nobuo Matsumoto passed away quietly on July 28, 2025. The fourth and youngest sister, Joyce was full of energy and fun. She was a graduate of Castle High School and the University of Hawaii with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. She was a proud alumnae of Beta Beta Gamma Sorority. Joyce did a short stint with American Airlines and the Maui Intercontinental Hotel before becoming the Director of Public Relations at the Halekulani Hotel where she loved all of the people with whom she worked and the travel writers whom she met. But other challenges called to her and she left Hawaii to become a realtor in Las Vegas finding homes for relocating Islanders. Joyce returned home in 2023 and became active in the Kaneohe Higashi Hongwanji Mission which her parents rebuilt with the help of the Sangha in 1963. Her last project was the article in the Spring 2025 issue of The Kaneohe Magazine on the Temple's centennial celebration. Joyce is survived by her sons: Tyler (Ana), Drew, and Loren (Michele) Liwanag and her sisters: June (Barry) Weled, Reiko (Glen) Hatakeyama, and Mary (Roy) Matsuda. She was predeceased by her parents the Rev. Nobuo and Mrs. Tomoko Matsumoto and ex-husband Norman Liwanag. Visitation will be at 4pm with service at 5pm at the Kaneohe Higashi Hongwanji Mission on Saturday, September 20, 2025. Arrangements Provided By: Hosoi Garden Mortuary