Jessie Kubo

His wife of more than 40 years lived out her life seeking closure and clinging to a ray of hope that he was still alive, which is why she rarely left her Kapiçolani Boulevard apartment.

"She was afraid that while she was gone he might come home and find no one there," said Beryl Carroll, Kubo's niece.

Jessie Kubo, 80, died at Straub Hospital & Clinic, where she had been hospitalized since May 18.

The 2001 monthlong search effort left a lasting impression on her aunt, Carroll said.

"She was so shocked to see all those people searching," Carroll recalled. "They were strangers looking for a stranger. I know she wanted to thank and give something back to every one of them."

Jessie Kubo's thank yous came in the form of homemade "secret recipe" energy bars, which she made by the dozens to give to volunteers.

"Do you know each (energy bar) had to be wrapped individually?" Carroll asked. "And that she sat in front of the TV and broke the peanuts into quarters by hand? She was so meticulous and always worried about everyone's health."

A private service is planned for Kubo, who is survived by brothers Thomas, George and Charles Morikawa; sisters Margaret Inouye and Virginia Hashimoto of Las Vegas; and nephews and nieces.