John Kamikakeahonui Matsuzaki

John Kamikakeahonui Matsuzaki, aged 52, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. A big man with a big smile and bigger heart, John was spending his time that day doing one of his favorite things—playing football with his son Joss and the other young men from church. John was born August 11, 1972, to Elaine Wahinenoilama and Ernest Toshio Matsuzaki in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was named Kamikakeahonui, or Smith the Patient One, after Elaine’s favorite uncle, Smith Keahonui Kekoanui. He grew up in the house on Liliha Street where he and his brothers walked around the corner to attend Maemae School, and attended Sunday services and scouts at the Nuuanu Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Judd Street. Later, John’s mom would drive him and his brother James up the hill to attend Kamehameha Schools, where John played football with his best friend, Barney Kapono Isaacs. He graduated with the Class of 1990–whose class shirts and class ring, John designed. In 1991, John served a two-year mission for the church in Singapore, where he shared his faith in Jesus Christ with the people of Singapore and the other missionaries with whom he served. Upon return to Hawaii, he met Juli Shinsato during Christmas break. Juli met John through her roommate Pam, who is friends with John’s sister, Anne. In February 1994, John took his brother James to Utah to prepare for his mission and to visit Juli. They were married on May 27, 1995, in the Laie, Hawaii Temple. The next five years were filled with school and work. John’s artistic eye and technical skills culminated in an Associate Degree in graphic arts and print production from Honolulu Community College. This training and John’s skills landed him jobs doing Foodland’s advertising pages and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs' monthly newspaper, website, and promotional videos. John also lent his talents to friends and family—album covers, posters, calendars, logo designs, and countless booklets and programs. The entirety of John’s life was his family: Jonah, Julia, Jonas, and Joss. Planning for new babies, the birth of each child, diapers, bottle feeding, sleepless nights, first steps, first birthdays, potty training, preschool, family photos, cub and boy scouts, sports and musical activities, church activities, children’s church missions—and so on and so forth. This was John’s happiness. And whatever his wife, Juli, wanted, he supported and made it happen, including buying a townhouse in Kaneohe, living with Tutu Sharon in Makiki, and raising his kids in the Makiki Ward; later, they moved to California in 2017. The Matsuzaki’s of the Inland Empire have spent a year in Chino Hills, and seven years in the Rancho Cucamonga Stake, where John’s daughter Julia served a mission in Melbourne, Australia, and son Jonas got his Eagle Scout and currently serves in the Utah Spanish Fork Mission. John is preceded in death by his father Ernie and his mother Elaine. He is survived by his wife Juli; sons Jonah, Jonas and Joss; daughter Julia; brothers Michael (Monha), James and Peter (Megan); sister Anne Marie; father-in-law Papa Mel Shinsato and mothers-in-law Tutu Sharon and Tutu Annette; nephews Ben and Elijah; nieces Myra, Ella and Aimee; and numerous beloved aunties and uncles, cousins, friends and church members from the wards who were every bit family to John. John lived a good life; he was a good husband and father who spent his time serving the people he loved. His generous heart will be deeply and profoundly missed.

John Kamikakeahonui Matsuzaki

August 11, 1972 - May 20, 2025

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John Kamikakeahonui Matsuzaki

August 11, 1972 - May 20, 2025

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