In Memoriam: Ginger Sizemore

By Barbara Garcia

Editor’s Note:
Sue Springer submitted a request for us to publish a story on her friend, Ginger Sizemore, in June 2019. Due to Covid-19 causing us to reduce the number of stories we publish in each issue, it takes us longer to schedule them. By the time I contacted Sue to schedule it, sadly, Ginger had passed away. It is our privilege to publish Ginger’s story to help carry on her legacy.

If You Look, I Can Be Found

Please, Catch me if you can
Spin and twirl me around
You can make me sparkle
If you look, I can be found
—Ginger Sizemore

Marilyn Virginia “Ginger” Letterly knew she wanted to be an artist from a young age. Both her parents were talented; her father was a wild life oil painter, and her mother had many creative talents, too. At age four, Ginger found a treasure chest—a box of shells her father had brought home from when he was in the Navy, stationed on O‘ahu, during World War II. She was enthralled. Around the same time, she came across a box of buttons her mother had saved. These two collections inspired her to start stringing together necklaces, and selling them in consignment stores.

Ginger was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and grew up in Brighton, Colorado. After graduating from business school in 1962 at 19 years old, she visited O‘ahu with a girlfriend and never went home!

Her dream was to open a store in Waikīkī, where she could sell her own jewelry. She began with a table—not even a kiosk—called Ginger’s Treasure Chest in the International Market Place in 1964. She sold trinkets and trained parrots to rollerskate across her table, entertaining the tourists. She also met her future husband there, when he became a customer. She and Sherman Otis ended up owning eight successful retail stores in Honolulu over the course of 16 years. She was known to create her jewelry while sitting in front her store, and also for selling exotic birds.

In 1979, at the young age of 35, she and Sherman decided to “retire” on Hawai‘i Island. She sold her shops, opened a wholesale jewelry design business, taught classes, and continued to create wearable art. She utilized the extensive inventory of beads she brought with her. Eventually, she became interested in other art forms, namely photography, sculpting, lampwork, bead making, seed bead jewelry, needleweaving, and writing poetry. A special note, needleweaving is an art form that Ginger originally created. It consists of small, wearable tapestries that incorporate beads, found objects, collectibles, coins, and various fibers. She and others loved it so much that she started a popular workshop to teach it.

Hawai‘i Island

Ginger was passionate about many other things. She helped create a bird park, which was to be known as Papalani Petbird Park in South Kona. Ginger was skilled at training large birds, such as macaws. Her love of birds and ability to train them would have made her a perfect fit for leading the bird shows. The couple brought all of Ginger’s trained birds including her roller-skating parrots Ruby and Mango, and her white cockatoo Daisy Mae Crackers. Due to many circumstances, the bird park never opened; however, it was what brought her and Sherman to Hawai‘i Island—they moved to Pāpā Bay Estates, continuing to raise pet birds. Eventually the birds were adopted by a local bird sanctuary in Ocean View.

Another of Ginger’s passions was scuba diving, and yet another, dancing hula. Jackie Haleiwa knew Ginger for decades. They originally met when Ginger and Sherman first moved to Hawai‘i Island—they were neighbors and shared a love for jewelry making, scuba, and hula.

Jackie shared some hilarious memories with Ginger. She recalls, “Scuba diving was really fun with Ginger as long as you were not her partner. She was a tremendous swimmer. When you’re a partner you’re supposed to look out for each other, and Ginger would be so intent on what she was looking at that she forgot you were even there. You were constantly tugging on her fin while she was following a baby octopus or looking at what was living in a shell. She lived in the right side of her brain all the time. She was that creative. One time I took her to ‘Trash’ [Kamilo] Beach, and I was on crutches. We found a [fishing] net, and Ginger wanted it. I couldn’t help, so she did it herself. She brought it home, aired it out for about six months—it stunk so bad—and then hung it from the ceiling in her kitchen, putting plastic crabs in it and everything else. That net hung there until after she passed away! She was always wonderfully excited about so many things, that’s what I miss. She was terrific at anything she touched.”

Ginger danced with Hannah’s Makana ‘Ohana in Ocean View, directed by Kumu Hannah Uribes. Hannah was another dear friend of Ginger’s in addition to being her kumu. Their hālau competed in the annual Kūpuna Hula Festival in Keauhou.

Being 30 years Ginger’s senior, Sherman’s health declined in the late 90s. He introduced her to his good friend and neighbor, Burley Sizemore. Burley became a great help to the couple in Sherman’s final years, and Ginger felt it was destiny that she married this wonderful man in her later years. She was known to say, “I was so blessed to marry two of the greatest men on earth!” She and Burley were married for more than 12 years. In Pāpā Bay, they were terrific square dancers, with Ginger sewing all the costumes. When they could no longer manage the Papalani farm, they moved to their Ocean View home, shortly before Burley’s death.

Neighbors and Friends

One of the things Ginger created was a workshop in her home. She invited everyone in—anyone who wanted to create art, she was willing to teach them. She taught watercolor and acrylic painting, glass work, beading, polymer clay pendant design, needleweaving, tapestry, clothing design, and quilting. Along the way she formed many lasting friendships.

Jackie shares, “You know how some people say they don’t have any hobbies? Ginger didn’t have enough time for all her hobbies. They were her life and she made a living from them. The other part was just for fun and she was extremely generous. I considered her a very close friend.”

Neighbor Sue Springer says, “Ginger’s writing reflects her crazy sense of humor, her strong faith, and her passion for life, the ocean, and animals.”

Sue and Ginger were close friends and next-door neighbors. Sue and other friends put together a scrapbook with photos of Ginger’s artwork, jewelry, newspaper clippings, and ads from Ginger’s Honolulu businesses, and also a book of poetry Ginger created during her last days in 2020.

Angels on the Scene

Sue shares, “A former neighbor and dear friend, Tammy Opalinsky Clay, had stored a large motor from her husband’s boat in one of Ginger’s many storage sheds. Ginger called her in Texas, asking her to come get it. After visiting for two weeks, Tammy didn’t want Ginger to live alone and offered to be her caregiver. [Amazingly, in 2005, Tammy and her husband Mark were Burley’s in-home caregivers.] Ginger agreed to let her stay. Tammy signed on for the next four months, but Ginger lived another full year! We traveled a lot—she returned to the International Market Place to see where her shops had been. I have a great picture of her hugging a statue of Don Ho—she knew him personally! We visited the Honolulu Aquarium with her running commentary of all the sea creatures. We also made it to Maui’s Aquarium. The Honolulu Bead Show was so fun with our expert in tow. Kaua‘i was a great trip, also.

“Covid clipped her wings a bit, but the hula hālau came and did an open air dance fest with her. The worship team of her church, Ocean View Evangelical Community Church, came and did an outdoor concert for her, as she smiled from her lānai. She did not like being secluded from her friends, so they signed up to take turns visiting.

“We will finally get to have her Celebration of Life open house—her Attitude of Gratitude party—she helped plan it for November 19, 2022. What fun it will be to celebrate my friend and her amazing touch she left with all who knew her! Such a happy, creative soul landed in heaven July 25, 2020.”

A Woman of Faith

While perusing the scrapbook of Ginger’s life’s work, there is one common thread: it is clear she was deeply rooted in her faith. Whether it’s her jewelry, tapestries, paintings, or poetry, Ginger’s faith is weaved into it all, as noted in her poems. Ginger is missed by all. Her legacy will live on forever in her creations. ❖

Sheller’s Prayer

Lord grant that I may shell
Until my dying day
And when it comes to my last search
I then most humbly pray,
When in the Lord’s great shelling bag,
I’m peacefully asleep—
That in His mercy I be judged
As good enough to keep.
—Ginger Sizemore

All photos courtesy of Ginger Sizemore’s collection, except Jackie Haleiwa