Valerie Leilani (Taguma) Kaneshiro, age 63 of Kauai, Hawaii, passed away peacefully, Tuesday, October 13, 2020 at her home in Koloa.

Valerie Leilani Taguma was born May 21, 1957 in Chicago, IL the daughter of George and Sylvia (Barcklin-Baker) Taguma.

She attended the Stone Lake Elementary School, Hayward High School, and graduated from Kauai High School in 1974. In 1975, Valerie married Derwin Kaneshiro. While raising two sons and a granddaughter, and being active in the community on their behalf, Valerie also spent her life working for the family farm, and for the welfare of Hawaiian farmers. Ove the years, she was active in Hawaiian State Farm Bureau business, the County Fair and 4-H, and was a strong advocate of buying locally grown farm products. She was a past president of the Hawaii Pork Industry Association. In 2018, Valerie appeared in the PBS documentary, “Family Ingredients,” with Chef Ed, filming on the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation, and at her residence in Koloa. In 2019, the State of Hawaii named Valerie “Hawaii’s Farmer of the Year.”

Valerie attended the Grace Baptist Church in Topeka, KS, was a member of the Whitefish Presbyterian Indian Mission at Lac Courte Oreilles and participated in gathering with other Christians on Kauai. During her illness, she valued the encouragement and prayers of all her friends, family, and the strangers who took the time to pray for her, and the guidance she received throughout from her pastor, her friend Reverend Wesley Elmore. Her family is grateful to Kauai Hospice and Palliative Services for their end-of-life care.

She is survived by her mother Sylvia Bracklin; husband Derwin Kaneshiro; son Ahren (Shontel) Kaneshiro; granddaughter Jeni Kaneshiro; sisters Lori Taguma and Carol Fergerstrom; aunt Betty DeBere; uncles Lawrence (Nana) Taguma, Larry Nagata; nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her father George Taguma; and son Eben Kaneshiro.

A private service was held in Kauai with The Garden Island Mortuary assisted the family. A Memorial Gathering will be held from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon, Wednesday, May 12, 2021 at Pineview Funeral Service in Hayward, WI. Burial will be in Whitefish Cemetery.

Last Update: May 09, 2021 5:29 pm CDT