Pictured: Dr Cynthia Timtim and other members of the JABSOM MD Class of 1985, in their class photo.
Alan Soneda, his brother Brian and sister Janice Saiki have established the Shinji and Masako Soneda and Dr. Cynthia Timtim Soneda Memorial Endowed Scholarship at the University of Hawaiʻi medical school.
“My sister Cynthia 2015 in a traffic accident,” said engineer Alan Soneda, who grew up in Kaimuki. His sister was Dr. Cynthia Timtim Soneda, 1985 graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). She was a busy ophthalmologist, who served patients on Leeward Oʻahu until she was struck by a vehicle while on her morning run in East Honolulu on a June day in 2015.
Born in Hilo, Dr. Cynthia Soneda was valedictorian of Kalani High School in 1978 and went on to Stanford University where she graduated at the top of her class in chemical engineering in 1981. She returned home for her medical degree from JABSOM where she again stood out as a star student. In medical school she fell in love with her anatomy lab partner, John Keolalani Timtim, and they were married shortly before graduation in May of 1985.
Cynthia’s dad, Shinji Soneda, died a year before she was killed. Shinji’s wife, Masuko, mother of Cynthia and Alan, died three years later. “When when my mom passed, my siblings and I wanted to do something to recognize all three of them,” Alan said. Shinji Soneda was a World War II veteran who took advantage of the GI Bill to attend the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and, later, Rose Polytech Institute (now Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology) and Harvard University, earning a Master’s Degree in Engineering. His wife Masako was a library assistant.
“We’re honored to have this opportunity to remember them because they are so admirable and we are so sad to lose them we thought preserving their memory, and really lifelong dedication to learning dad “We were so said when they passed away,” Alan said. “We thought preserving their memory, through scholarships would honor their lifelong dedication to learning and service to their community.”
The scholarship will assist Kama‘aina students with financial need who intend to practice medicine in Hawai‘i. It will support eligible second, third and fourth year medical students at JABSOM.
Andrew Ho, left, with Alan Soneda and his wife Rosaline Soneda.
One of the first recipients is Andrew Ko, a Moanalua High School graduate and military veteran who is a member of the MD Class of 2021. “It means a lot, I consider myself a student in need and just reading about the family and Dr. Cynthia is really touching. I am really honored to get this,” Andrew said.
In addition to siblings Alan, Brian and sister Janice Saiki, Cynthia is survived by her two daughters and her husband, John Timtim, MD.
Watch our short video:
A family photo showing Cynthia Timtim Soneda, John Keolalani Timtim and their daughters.
More about Dr. Cynthia Timtim Soneda
After completing their residency training in San Bernadino, California, Cynthia and John returned to Honolulu to practice medicine and raise a family. Cynthia touched many lives through her work as an ophthalmologist. She worked at the Kaiser clinics in Punawai and Waipi‘o for more than 25 years and was fiercely loyal to her patients on the Leeward side, though she lived with her family in Kaimuki. Like her mother, Cynthia enjoyed sewing and made her own wedding gown and many of her children’s Halloween costumes. She was an avid runner, completing several marathons and inspiring her husband and daughters to live active lives. Cynthia gave back to her community and family frequently. She patiently cared for her parents as they grew older and their health declined. For the people she couldn’t help in her clinical eye practice, she learned Braille and transcribed novels on her Braille typewriter for the Library for the Blind and Physically Challenged. Cynthia died in a traffic accident while out for an early morning run on June 19, 2015. She was beloved by her patients and respected by her colleagues for her clinical excellence, caring heart, and tireless service. She was an inspiration to her daughters, Sara and Elise, both of whom are now training to become physicians themselves.
Masuko and Shinji Soneda
More about Shinji and Masuko Soneda
Shinji Soneda was born in Honolulu on January 15, 1926 and graduated from Farrington High School. After serving in the Army at the end of World War II, including time with Military Intelligence, he completed his education.
Masuko Shimazu was born in Pu’unene, Maui on September 23, 1930 and graduated from Baldwin High School. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from UH Mānoa in 1952 and taught briefly on the island of Moloka‘i following graduation. She loved to keep her mind and hands active with her favorite hobbies of sewing, crocheting, gardening, reading and doing crossword puzzles.
Shinji and Masuko met and fell in love while they were in college and married on June 21, 1953. They settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, where Shinji worked as a civil engineer and Masuko made a home for their growing family. In 1956, Shinji and Masuko moved back to Hawai‘i with sons Brian and Alan, who were soon joined by daughters Cynthia and Janice. Shinji worked for the State of Hawai‘i in the Health Department, retiring in 1990 after reaching the level of Division Chief. Once the children were older, Masuko took a job as a library assistant at ‘Aina Haina Library where she worked for many years. After retiring, she volunteered regularly at Kaimuki Library. Shinji stayed active during his retirement years by volunteering with the Lion’s Club and taking many Japanese and Korean courses at UH Mānoa. The two loved to travel and made many trips to the mainland to visit children and grandchildren as well as tour historical sites. Shinji died on November 13, 2013, and Masuko passed away four years later on August 18, 2017.
Throughout their lives, Shinji and Masuko deeply valued education and encouraged their children to follow their hearts in their academic pursuits. They demonstrated this belief in the importance of education by giving generously to many schools as well as several non-profit charities.
How to give
Charitable giving is a lasting way to honor the memories of those you love. If you would like to give to JABSOM to honor someoneʻs life, contact Julie Inouye Associate Director of Development and Alumni Engagement. Her telephone is (808) 692-0873.