Posted on: Friday, September 17, 2004
Bette M. Stillwell, ex-manager of historic Wai'oli Tea Room
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
Bette M. Stillwell, a longtime community volunteer and former manager of the Salvation Army's Wai'oli Tea Room in Manoa, died Tuesday. She was 77.
Photo courtesy Salvation Army The Stillwells joined the Salvation Army and were active in many aspects of the agency. Bette Stillwell was a longtime member of the Salvation Army's Women's Auxiliary and also was the director of the children's facility.
In 1978, Stillwell took over as manager of the Salvation Army's historic Wai'oli Tea Room. The tea room was built in 1922 as a vocational training facility for residents of the Salvation Army Girls' Home.
In 1991, the Wai'oli Tea Room was selected to the state Register of Historic Places. Stillwell was so enamored by the tea room that she wrote a book, "Come Back to Wai'oli," which chronicled the history of the tea room.
Maj. Dave Hudson, the Salvation Army's divisional commander for Hawai'i and the Pacific Islands, said Stillwell was a tireless person who was always available to help.
"Bette was known for her passion and going well above and beyond the call of duty," Hudson said.
Longtime friend and colleague Jane Libby said Stillwell was "one of the most admirable people I know." Libby is one of the founders of the Women's Auxiliary.
"She was a wonderful and remarkable woman and her husband is a very dedicated person too," Libby said. "She was an incredibly dedicated person and you could ask her to do almost anything and she'd be willing to help."
In addition to her work with the Salvation Army, Stillwell served with Goodwill Industries and Soroptimist International. She was the president of the Honolulu Chapter of Women in Communication and was a member of the Metropolitan Rotary Club.
The Soroptimist Club of Windward O'ahu honored her by naming a perpetual award given to a community volunteer each year the "Bette Stillwell Distinguished Service Award."
Stillwell is survived by husband, Robert; sons, Robert Jr., David, Daniel and Douglas; five grandchildren; and sisters, Marylou Trangmoe and Ruth Ann Bradford.
Services will be held at 1 p.m. Sept. 26 at Hawaiian Memorial Park Cemetery.
Donations may be sent to The Salvation Army, 2950 Manoa Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, for the Territorial Stillwell Music Award; or the Soroptimist of Windward O'ahu, c/o Sharon Schamber, 40 Kaiholu Place, Kailua, HI 96734, for the Bette Stillwell Distinguished Service Award Endowment.
Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8025.
Stillwell spent a lifetime helping others, beginning in Los Angeles where she was the director of two federal agencies. She and her husband, Robert, moved to Hawai'i, where they continued their work to help the less fortunate.
Bette Stillwell distinguished herself by longtime work as a community volunteer and with the Salvation Army.
