Obstetrician Richard Sakimoto, 98
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
Dr. Richard Y. Sakimoto, a noted physician and Hawai'i's first board-qualified obstetrician/ gynecologist, died April 26. He was 98.
Sakimoto began his practice here in 1938 and delivered more than 12,000 babies during his career, said his son, Rick.
SAKIMOTO
His parents lived in Hawai'i, but he was born in Japan in 1906 during a visit to see family. Sakimoto spent five years in Japan before moving back.
He graduated from McKinley High and the University of Hawai'i and earned his medical degree at Washington University in St. Louis.
Sakimoto returned to Hawai'i and set up practice in the Dillingham Transportation building. In 1949, he built the Medical Arts Building and moved his practice there.
Rick Sakimoto said his father set a high standard of medical care and kept meticulous records. He said his father was a compassionate doctor who often told his patients to "pay me later" or "pay me what you can."
He was an avid fisherman and a founding sponsor of the Hawaiian International Billfish Tournament in Kona, Hawai'i. He held a world record for catching a rainbow runner on light tackle, his son said.
Sakimoto taught at the UH John Burns School of Medicine, was chief of obstetrics and gynecology at The Queen's Medical Center and was a longtime member and president of the UH Alumni Association.
From 1960 to 1965, Sakimoto served on the Honolulu Police Commission. He was a member of the Waikiki Yacht Club, Elks Club and Pacific Club.
He is survived by his wife, Edna; daughter, Eda; son, Richard "Rick" II; and granddaughter, Olivia.
Services will begin at 4 p.m. May 15 at Nu'uanu Congregational Church, with inurnment at 10 a.m. May 17 at Nu'uanu Memorial Park.
