Hilo Woman Celebrates 104th Birthday at Legacy Hilo
- Ohana Pacific Health
- May 4
- 2 min read
On May 2, 2025, Sadako Okata celebrated her 104th birthday at Legacy Hilo Rehab & Nursing alongside family and friends. Born and raised in Pepeʻeko, Sadako has lived a long and meaningful life rooted in family and tradition.
Sadako was a devoted homemaker, raising three children alongside her late husband Katsumi Okata, who worked as a sugar plantation supervisor and electrician. The couple had been married for 70 years and worked hard to provide for their family despite limited resources. Sadako was a very dedicated mother and was always taking care of her children's needs.
“She was a typical homemaker and a good mother,” her daughter, Lei Oishi recalls. “She spoiled us and did almost everything for us. When my sister, Geraldine went to college she didn’t even know how to wash her own clothes.”
Sadako is Sansei, or third generation Japanese American born in Hawaiʻi. She and Katsumi instilled the value of their Japanese traditions and the importance of family with their children—values that their children have passed on to the younger generations to this day. Sadako is now the proud matriarch of a large and tight-knit family, including six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. The grandchildren adore Sadako and would spend summers visiting their grandmother in the “country”. The grandchildren would even light heartedly fight about who was the “favorite” grandchild.
If you ask Sadako what her secret to a long life is, she will say “Don’t overeat and you always have to be happy.” Sadako’s breakfast had always been the same, which included a boiled egg, toast, papaya, and coffee. Sadako had been very active and healthy, and until recently, she lived independently in her Pepeʻeko home. She cooked her own meals and would even walk across the street every evening to her daughter’s house for dinner.
In February, Sadako took an unfortunate fall which caused a hairline hip fracture. After time at the hospital, Sadako moved into Legacy Hilo for rehabilitation. She’s been receiving good care there and has even reconnected with an old friend from Pepeʻeko who is also a resident. Her family is grateful that Sadako is in the safe hands of the staff at Legacy Hilo, and are beyond amazed and happy to be able to celebrate another birthday with this amazing woman in their life.
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