Natividad Lagaso Obituary

NATIVIDAD TORRES LAGASO NATIVIDAD TORRES LAGASO, 87, of Aiea, Hawaii passed away peacefully on September 17, 2025. Naty was a devoted wife, dedicated mother, committed servant leader, community activist, registered nurse, realtor, artist, and award-winning lei maker. But above all, she was a woman of faith. Born in 1938 to Primitivo and Dionicia Torres in the Philippine village of Darapidap, she immigrated to Hawaii Island at age seven with her mother and siblings to join her father, a sugar cane laborer. With great will, she mastered the English language, rising to the top of her class. After graduating from Hilo High, Naty earned her degree from The Queen's Hospital School of Nursing. In 1962, she and her family chose Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Honolulu as their spiritual home. Naty met and married the love of her life, Alfredo Lagaso, that year when he was hired as the church's choir director. The Lagasos raised three daughters - Nadine, Almarie and Trisha - in the embrace of Aldersgate. Over the years, Naty grew into a steadfast servant leader. She held leadership positions on the church, district, conference and jurisdictional levels. The United Methodist Women - now the United Women in Faith - played a crucial role in Naty's leadership journey. Attending UMW conferences around the world and serving in faith beside her sisters in Christ, were cherished memories. Among Naty's proudest accomplishments as a leader was being a founding member of FACE (Faith in Action for Community Equity), a grassroots, interfaith organization committed to improving the quality of life for Hawaii's people. Naty also shared her time and talent with others as a skilled wili lei-maker, using plants and pua gathered from her garden. Naty once compared her spiritual journey to that of a plant, nurtured by God. "God is the ultimate potter of us all," she said. "God sees the flaws, the nicks and rough edges about me, and yet continues to foster me so I can grow and be of service to others." Naty is survived by daughters Nadine Lagaso, Almarie Lagaso, and Trisha Lagaso Goldberg; son-in-law Dr. David Goldberg; and grandchild Primo Lagaso Goldberg. She is also survived by siblings Dr. Ignacio Torres, Pacita Delos Reyes, Ignacia Craddock and Dr. Mariano Torres. She was preceded in death by husband Alfredo Lagaso, parents Primitivo and Dionicia Torres, and siblings Tarcila Harp and Samuel Torres. Please join us in honoring Naty on Saturday, November 8, at First United Methodist Church, 1020 Beretania St. in Honolulu. Visitation is at 4:30 pm and the Celebration of Life is at 5:30 pm. Fellowship and a light dinner will follow. For parking info and to RSVP, please visit: bit.ly/NatyCelebrationOfLife by Monday, November 3.