It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Pauline Iyoko Hayakawa, a beloved mother, grandmother, and friend who passed away peacefully surrounded by her children in Torrance, California on June 21, 2026 at the age of 98. Pauline was born on July 14, 1927 in Brawley, California to Ayaka and Setsu Takahash, who immigrated to America from Ehime-ken, Japan. The fourth of five children, she spent her childhood in Los Angeles in the Boyle Heights neighborhood. During World War II her family was forcibly removed and incarcerated in an internment camp in Poston, Arizona for three years with other Japanese Americans. Pauline attended high school at camp during this period. After the war, Pauline accompanied her older brother, Osam, and his wife Louise to Salt Lake City, Utah, where she met Herb Hayakawa and began an eight-year-long courtship. During this time, she returned to Los Angeles, attended UCLA and Whittier College, worked at Adrian’s Couturier Shop in Beverly Hills, and did some modeling. Pauline and Herb married in 1953 and settled in the Los Angeles area. They raised their three children in Torrance, California. Pauline worked for 25 years as a secretary and later as the office manager at South Bay United Teachers association in Redondo Beach, a local office for the California Teachers Association. Pauline and Herb loved to travel with their family and close friends.

Pauline was a kind, loving, and devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. She was a gracious and generous host who loved to entertain family and friends with delicious meals and wonderful fellowship. Despite her gentle personality, she was an incredibly strong and resilient person, recovering from several very serious medical emergencies later in life. She lived the last twelve years of her life at Belmont Village Assisted Living in Rancho Palos Verdes. She passed away at Caring House hospice in Torrance, California on June 21, 2026 around 4:00pm. We can find comfort knowing that our mother is in heaven with her husband Herb.

She is survived by her son Mark (Yuko Sakamoto) and daughters Dana (Steve Ludwig) and Lisa (Jon Kaji), grandchildren Mathew, Connor, Derek, Austi, and Mia, and several nieces and nephews, as well as relatives in Japan. Pauline was predeceased by her husband Herb (his parents Thomas and Mitsu), parents Ayaka and Setsu Takahash, brothers Tomokazu and Osam Takahash, and sisters Mary Ogawa and Lilyan Hirohama.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, August 15 at 9:00 a.m. at Green Hills Memorial Park Chapel at 27501 South Western Avenue Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275. Her love remains a guiding presence for all who know her.