Death date: Dec 9, 2025
Tom Dinell -- beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, educator, mentor, community leader, and longtime resident of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi -- died peacefully at home on December 9, 2025, at the age of 97, surroun Read Obituary
Going to Hilo Airport with Tom working on a Hewlett Foundation grant where we almost missed the flight back home to Honolulu. We were so far from the terminal, but like two bats out of hell, we took off running like fools. Nearly out of breath, we saw that a door to one of the ramps leading to the tarmac was open...so off we went running again. And then we noticed security was running after us too, and wondered where they were going. We reached the gate in time but had so much explaining to do that we missed our flight. Intellectual rigor combined with slapstick humor. I laugh when I think about this, even all those years later...and this was just one Tom Dinell story. I love this man, for all the heart and humor, and soul he has shared with so many of us.
Tom was a consultant on various planning projects for the Hawaii State Office of Planning. He was a joy to work with. He skillfully led or facilitated groups to obtain ideas and recommendations to solve various planning problems and develop recommendations. He also had suggestions to help the groups move forward when they seemed to get stuck. But more than that he was a warm and friendly person.
