Shizue Iimura Howe passed away August 10, 2026, in Silver Spring, Maryland, at the age of 93.

 

Shizue was the fourth of five children of Chu Iimura, a Japanese immigrant agricultural worker, and Sakae Ogata Iimura, an American-born homemaker. The family lived in Eleele, Kauai, Hawaii, near the McBryde sugar plantation where Chu worked, among Sakae’s large extended family. Shizue attended public school, graduating from Waimea High School before enrolling in the University of Hawaii, Manoa, where she earned a BS in home economics.

Shizue began her public school career teaching kindergarten in Eleele, then studied for her education certificate and teaching credential at the National College of Education in Evanston, Illinois. She taught at Pearl Harbor Elementary School and Kalihi Kai Elementary School before taking a sabbatical to go to the University of Hawaii Library School.

While at library school, she met John S. Howe, Jr., through a tennis group that played in the Honolulu Tennis League. John worked at the University of Hawaii Press. The couple married in 1972 and lived for many years in the highrise Banyan Tree Plaza on Punahou Street in Honolulu.

 

After finishing at library school, Shizue became the school librarian at Manoa Elementary School, a position she held for 19 years.

The couple moved to Clarksburg, Maryland, in 1987, to be near John’s family and for John’s job with the federal government in Frederick. They later lived in Linganore, Maryland, and after John’s retirement, divided their time between Gaithersburg and Honolulu. In 2021, they moved to the Riderwood retirement community in Silver Spring.

Shizue played tennis for most of her life, both socially and in US Tennis Association league play. She hiked with the Women’s Campus Club hiking group and enjoyed outings with the Friends of Foster Gardens. Shizue was an avid gardener, and was among the early participants in the Manoa Community Garden in Honolulu. She grew vegetables and flowers, and arranged flowers in all her various homes. She was skilled in sewing and especially loved making clothing and quilts for the children in her extended family. Shizue and John attended many performances of ballet, symphony, and opera in both Washington and Honolulu. Shizue established a scholarship in the name of her niece Sharon (who died
young of breast cancer) to assist University of Hawaii Manoa students from public school or community college.

In addition to her husband, Shizue is survived by cousins in Hawaii and California, and nieces and nephews in California and Massachusetts.

Shizue will be laid to rest in Monocacy Cemetery in Beallsville, Maryland, in John’s family plot.

 

Receiving will be at the Hilton Funeral Home in Barnesville, Maryland, at 1 pm - 2 pm September 12, 2026.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Sharon Harumi Iimura Memorial Scholarship Fund at the University of Hawaii Foundation (UHFoundation.org, search the fund list for “Sharon”, select the fund from the drop-down), Doctors without Borders, Habitat for Humanity, or the charity of your choice.