Maureen Fitch Obituary

MAUREEN MIEKO MASUDA FITCH Maureen Mieko Masuda Fitch, 77, died peacefully on July 2, 2025. She was born January 12, 1948 in Haiku on Maui and enjoyed an idyllic childhood with parents, Grace Kawaharada and Kazuto Masuda, sister, and extended Kawaharada and Masuda clans. She met her lifelong partner, Ron Fitch, in college and they have lived in Aiea, Oahu for the past 50 years. Maureen had a long and productive scientific career. In response to a disease that threatened the Hawaii papaya industry, she used innovative tissue culture and state-of-the-art biotechnology to provide ringspot virus resistance in "Rainbow" papayas. These efforts were crucial to saving Hawaii's papaya industry, and she is affectionately known as the Mother of Rainbow (and Kamiya) papaya. Maureen was a member of the Cactus and Succulent Society of Hawaii for more than 50 years, providing extensive expertise to lovers of succulent plants. Her hobby as a ceramic potter inspired creating pots designed for plants. She participated in many botanical garden plant sales, selling succulent plants and high fire ceramic pots which she had made. Survived by husband and best friend, Ron Fitch, sister Susan and Ken Cassman, and nieces Jessica and Marissa Cassman and their families. Funeral service and celebration of life shall be held at Nuuanu Mortuary, Aug. 22. Visitation starts at 1:00PM. Funeral Service starts at 2:00PM, followed by a Celebration of Life Ceremony. Arrangements Provided By: Nuuanu Memorial Park & Mortuary LLC