From a revered community matriarch to a war heroine, a popular entertainer, a kumu hula and leaders in media, arts and film, Hawaii lost a number of prominent women in 2024.

These women left an indelible mark on Hawaii’s story with their activism, voices, pioneering, mentorship and work for others in the community.

Among them was Twinkle Borge, a Hawaiian activist and fierce advocate for the homeless community at the Waianae Small Boat Harbor. Known to many as “Auntie Twinkle” or “Mama,” Borge died Aug. 5 at the age of 54.

She was loved for her heart and genuine caring, plus for having the determination and grit to oversee the purchase of 20 acres to make the village of Pu‘uhonua o Wai‘anae a place for the houseless a reality.

The village in the back of Waianae Valley is home to about 200, including keiki, kupuna and working families. Two-thirds of the community is Native Hawaiian.

State and city officials joined the Waianae community for a “Day of Aloha” honoring Borge in August.

Teresa Naniali‘i Bright, a beloved singer and Na Hoku Hanohano award-winning musician, died Sept. 1 at age 64.

She was known for her sweet and sultry vocal style, with a career that spanned decades. Her groundbreaking 1990 solo album, “Self Portrait,” earned her a Hoku as best female vocalist, and in 2020 the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts honored Bright with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

She won fans throughout the world with her blend of traditional Hawaiian music with pop, jazz, and blues. The Castle High School graduate was also known for her innovative blending of Hawaiian, Japanese and Okinawan music.

Bright, known as “T” or “Auntie T,” also weaved lauhala, painted landscapes, made jewelry and lei, and was passionate about teaching music to the next generation of musicians and preserving the land and culture of Kaneohe, where her family is from.

Maui resident Lucille “Cille” MacDonald — Hawaii’s own “Rosie the Riveter” — was recognized by Congress for her work as a welder building ships during World War II. She was also a survivor of the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires, which destroyed the home she and her late husband built in Lahaina.

MacDonald died Nov. 15 at the age of 98. On Maui, where she had lived for the past 50 years, she was active in the community, helping to build school playgrounds and donating money for the construction of a fire station in Napili.

“Cille was diminutive, tough, spunky and beloved, an ambassador of all the Rosies who had a key role in helping win World War II,” said Aileen Utterdyke, president and CEO of Pacific Historic Parks.

Most people knew broadcast journalist Emmeline Tomimbang Burns simply as Emme. The prominent television host and champion of the Filipino community died Feb. 19 while undergoing surgery at The Queen’s Medical Center. She was 73.

She became a household name delivering the news on TV, then founded her own production company, Emme Tomimbang Multi-­Media Enterprises (EMME Inc.), which for over 20 years produced “Emme’s Island Moments.”

In recent years she established and oversaw endowments and scholarships, including for Native Hawaiian and Filipino students at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine. At Farrington High School, her alma mater, she funded programs for aspiring Filipino doctors and nurses for rural areas and would-be journalists.

Former state Film Commissioner Georgette Deemer, who died Sept. 1 in Honolulu after a long battle with cancer, helped pave the way for the state’s international film and television industry. She was 71.

Deemer played pivotal roles in promoting Hawaii as a place for the film industry and overseeing the development of the original Hawaii Film Studio at Diamond Head, along with a one-stop film permitting system.

“It was Georgette who saw the immense possibilities and opportunities for Hawaii to be a global leader in this industry,” said Donne Dawson, current state film commissioner. “And she brought everyone in the industry together during some very challenging times to realize those possibilities.”

Deemer also served as deputy managing director for City and County of Honolulu under former Mayor Kirk Caldwell.

Sharon Thomas Yarbrough, founder and president of Sisters Empowering Hawaii, will be remembered for her dedication to uplifting, motivating, educating and empowering women.

Yarbrough died Sept. 23 at Kaiser Medical Center in Honolulu. She was 71.

She played a key role in the continuing success of the Honolulu African American Film Festival and brought voices to life with the publication of the “Sisters Across Oceans” poetry anthology in December 2022.

Kumu hula Leolani Pratt-Hao, known to many as “Auntie Leifi” and “Auntie Leolani,” died April 8 in Waimea, Hawaii island. She was 84.

Pratt-Hao was kumu hula of Hula Halau ‘o Leolani of Hawaii Kai and taught hula, ukulele and Hawaiian to generations at public schools and the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation. She was also a kahu for Ka Hoku Ao Malamalama Church in Keaukaha, which was founded by her parents.

Pratt-Hao was a grandmother to 24 and great-­grandmother to 16.

Other losses include Jade Kaiwalani Stice, a Broadway veteran and Castle High School graduate who starred in “Miss Saigon” and “Jekyll &Hyde.”

She reportedly died in a hiking accident on the mainland, according to a family spokesperson. She was 53.

Stice mentored others in theater and was also program manager for Family Hui Hawaii, a parenting support group that seeks to prevent violence in the home. Members of Family Hui remembered her as a visionary and force of nature who “connected with everyone she met on a deep level.”