Craig Cass Kimura's Obituary
Craig Cass Kimura ("Giggie") was born in Hilo, Hawaii in 1949 to Edna and Kazuo Kimura and spent his early life there with brother, Russell. Gig was a member of the Hilo High School Class of ’67. He obtained a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Minnesota, a Masters Degree from the University of Hawai at Manoa, and a Doctor of Dental Medicine from Oregon Health Sciences University. Gig, Sally (Fong), and their first child, Caitlin, returned to the Big Island in 1985 where Gig began his practice of dentistry, commuting to Waimea from Hilo for a year. In 1986 they moved to Waimea and added Cecily to the family. Over the next 35 years Gig practiced general dentistry, volunteered at the Waimea YMCA, coached HI-PAL basketball, and Hawaii Preparatory Academy girls basketball.
Gig was an avid lover of sports, the outdoors, and food; he was able to incorporate his passions into his everyday life by coaching girls basketball for many years, spending hours running on the backroads of Mana, and never turning down a chocolate chip cookie.
Gig was diagnosed with interstitial pulmonary fibrosis in 2019, was forced to retire from dentistry in early 2021, was thereafter cared for at home by his family, and died quietly at home on August 27, 2021.
Gig had a special way with people which was evident in the number of friendships he cultivated during his lifetime. He played bi-yearly golf tournaments with his high school buddies, encouraged visits from Dental school classmates, and kept up with his former players via Instagram. Anyone who met him will remember him as someone who was patient, genuine, honest and generous with his time. He will be greatly missed, but his impact will live on through those that knew him.
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