In Memorium: Alfreida Kimura Fujita

Alfreida Kimura Fujita, who passed away on July 16, 2017, was a passionate advocate for Kailua-Kona’s rich history, including the Kona Coffee Living History Farm. Alfreida grew up along the Kona Coffee Belt in Hōlualoa, where she lived surrounded by coffee farms and her family’s business, Kimura Lauhala Shop. In her youth, she became familiar with the role of coffee farmers in shaping Kona’s history.

The spunky Alfreida was instrumental in bringing the Kona Coffee Living History Farm to fruition. Her first-hand knowledge made her one of the key individuals who helped Kona Historical Society (KHS) develop the farm’s buildings and programming to accurately reflect the 1925–1945 era. Her efforts helped place the farm on the State and National Registers of Historic Places and garner multiple Historic Preservation Awards from the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation.

The long-time community volunteer was also instrumental in the development of the exhibit, The Kona Coffee Story: Along the Hawaii Belt Road, when it was first curated. It is now on display in the H.N. Greenwell Store Museum with additional artifacts and photos from Kona Historical Society’s collections.

Kona Historical Society Executive Director Joy Holland says Alfreida was someone who “made things happen,” and she, just by sheer force of will “improved everything she touched.”

“Alfreida not only managed to gather groups of friends and her club members together to work on Kona Coffee Living History Farm festivals and Kona Historical Society charity events, but she also managed to give meaning to these things,” Joy remembers. “Working side by side with Alfreida, she would remind you why you loved what you were doing—she helped you laugh when something unexpected would happen, and helped you feel pride in your community when she would, at the end of a long day, simply gather everyone to hold hands and sing ‘Hawai‘i Aloha’.”

KHS remembered Alfreida’s memory in August with a variety of activities culminating in a sake toast in her honor fronting the museum farmhouse and mill “that she loved so much, with the organization she worked so hard for.”

Publisher’s note: Alfreida called me just a couple of weeks before she passed away, requesting that we publish a story about Hands On History. She didn’t realize we already had scheduled it for this issue, and of course we didn’t realize how fortuitous the timing was for her call. We’re pleased to honor Alfreida Kimura Fujita by bringing you this story on her behalf. We send a heartfelt aloha to her entire ‘ohana. – Barbara Garcia