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Gov. Neil Abercrombie has ordered that U.S. and Hawaii flags at state offices and agencies and Hawaii National Guard facilities be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Monday in memory of former state Sen. Wadsworth Y.H. Yee, who died May 8 at age 90.
"Senator Yee’s leadership as a veteran, public servant, businessman and developer truly shaped the Hawaii we know today," Abercrombie said Friday. "His legacy is continued in many of our public and private institutions, and he will be dearly missed."
Yee served in the territorial and state House from 1958 to 1962, and later in the state Senate, representing the 11th District (Manoa-McCully-Waikiki) from 1966 to 1982.
He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, was discharged in 1946 as a corporal, and served in the Army Reserve, attaining the rank of major.
Along with former state House Speaker Hiram Fong, Yee became part of a group that founded Grand Pacific Life Insurance Co. in 1957.
Yee is survived by his wife, Aileen S. Kitaoka-Yee; sons Alan, Randall and Brian; stepsons Barney and Reid Tokujo; stepdaughter Carrie Kitashima; stepbrother Thomas Leong; 17 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Nuuanu Memorial Park and Mortuary, followed by services at 11:30 a.m. Inurnment will be private.