For decades, dedicated volunteer Warren Shimabukuro took an active role in maintaining the baseball field at the county’s Iron Maehara Stadium. PHOTO COURTESY OF MATTHEW THAYER FOR THE MAUI NEWS.

WAILUKU — Warren Eikichi Shimabukuro, Maui’s unofficial “Mr. Baseball,” died in Wailuku on June 17, 2023 at the age of 89.

Born in Lahaina of Okinawan ancestry on Aug. 25, 1933, he was the son of Toku and Ushi Shimabukuro and a 1952 graduate of Lahainaluna High School. A state inspector for many years before retirement, he had a lifelong enthusiasm for sports, especially baseball, and was best known as a dedicated volunteer who for decades helped maintain the field at the county’s Iron Maehara Stadium.

A few years before his death, he recalled, “Kenji Kawaguchi got me involved, back in the 1970s. I helped him officiate basketball and learned the rules from him.”

From there Shimabukuro participated in a variety of sports, but baseball won out: Little League, Peewee, Pony and Colt leagues, Parks and Recreation teams, the Stingrays and Na Koa Ikaika semi pro teams, high school athletics — he had a long and close association with them all.

“In a perfect world,” Shimabukuro once said, “there would be no need to ‘remind’ the county to keep it all looking spiffy. But in real life, the maintenance of the grounds sort of comes and goes.”

It looks wonderful before special events and then less than ideal when the spotlight turns elsewhere. “It’s start and stop,” and that, in his opinion, was not the way it should be.

“Let’s keep it up, not all this last-minute stuff. Be consistent. Do it right. The first impression should be, ‘Wow!’ “

Shane Dudoit, deputy director of Maui’s Department of Parks and Recreation, longtime coach at Baldwin, and other local schools, had only praise for Shimabukuro, who he had known since the 1980s as the “unofficial supervisor of the field.”

“Warren had a close association with the MIL, AJA, Little League and baseball at every level. He did everything: kept the scores, raked the field, laid down the lines… He worked for love for 20-30 years or more. He wanted the field to be nice for the kids.”

Dudoit said the county has a plan in the works to name the field after Shimabukuro, but it may be a while before it becomes “official.”

Eddie Espiritu, another longtime Baldwin coach and friend, remembered meeting him on Molokai when Shimabukuro was visiting the island for the state Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS). “Our friendship grew from there. I’ve known him for 20-30 years. We were both Luna grads — he was ’52; I was a boarder from the Class of ’71. He told me stories of his early life at Crater Village and walking along the ditch to come to school.

In recent years, Espiritu recalled: “Warren would come out to the field with his cane. Before you knew it, the cane would be gone and he’d be holding a rake and pointing his finger. Next thing he’d be telling everybody what to do. He was the hardest worker.”

As for the future, Espiritu said that he and a group of about ten other Baldwin coaches “will continue to help as needed.” But what direction their efforts take will depend on the county. “We’re always ready to help but it’s the county’s decision, it’s their field.”

Asked about Shimabukuro, Tara Sabado, Wailuku District supervisor for the Department of Parks and Recreation, wrote, “I had a direct relationship with him for many years. Warren was our Iron Maehara Stadium advocate and mentor for many of us. His attention to detail and historical knowledge paved the way for our ongoing maintenance requirements for this stadium. His thank you notes were a highlight of my day. He will be missed.”

More than baseball

But there was more to Shimabukuro than baseball. He was a state employee at the Department of Accounting and General Services, retiring in 1990 after 20 years on the job. During those years he inspected everything on Maui, Molokai or Lanai built by the state, including roads, schools, libraries, hospitals, prisons, the college and other construction of all kinds.

Brian Ige, construction project manager for Dowling Co. Inc. of Wailuku, who knew him for 20 years, recalled that Shimabukuro later worked as an inspector for SSFM International and a variety of other firms, including Dowling.

“He was awesome,” Ige said. “He caught a lot of things; he was easy to work with and made sure things came out the way they were designed. He was a great gentleman and did many things for the community.” Like many others, Ige remembers his volunteer work at the stadium, “to keep the facilities immaculate, which was not an easy task.”

Well into retirement, Shimabukuro became the dean of a group of friends who gathered most weekday mornings at the Wailuku Coffee Company to discuss the events of the day.

Vietnam vet James “Kimo” Deters of Wailuku, a coffee shop regular, remembers meeting him ten years ago. It was the Minnesota transplant’s second day on the island. The two struck up a lasting friendship. Deters termed him “helpful, knowledgeable, and big-hearted. He went out of his way to introduce the new arrival to the island.

“He was a man of few words, but he definitely knew what the hell was going on.” Deters remembers his enthusiasm for baseball and especially his fond memories of trips to out-of-state-tournaments, where he brought cases of pineapple to share with his hosts.

“He impressed me with his dedication, making sure that the field was at its best at all times, especially for the teams coming in from out-of-town to play in tournaments.

Recently, as his health began to fail, Deters and his other coffee shop friends were frequent visitors to the hospital and the rehab unit at Hale Makua during a series of illnesses leading to his death.

Warren Shimabukuro is survived by his wife, Eleanor Emiko Shimabukuro; children Lynn, Neal, Wade, and Gwyn Shimabukuro Matsuda; granddaughters Cassidy and Sydnie Matsuda; and step-granddaughters Kayla Miyamoto and Alexis Fontanilla.

Speaking for her family, Gwyn wrote, “We remember our dad as being an extremely hard worker and very dedicated. We always felt his love through his actions and support. None of us can recall him ever telling us ‘No’ if we asked him to do things with or for us.

“He had a positive attitude through good times and bad and always found a way to forgive us for any mistakes or not-so-good decisions we made.

“Dad loved all sports, but had a real passion for baseball from semi-pro baseball, to AJA, to high school to softball to Tee-ball. He once said that getting involved in sports was one of his greatest successes.

“Our father’s mind and soul was still pretty strong, and none of us were ready to lose him, but he is now where he can watch any sports at any time.”