Patsy Miyahira Young who led the way for many women in Hawaii has died at the age of 92, reports the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
She served in the state House and Senate from 1971 to 1988.
Young took on the role of Vice President of the state Senate, becoming the first woman to do so.
She is also the first woman on the University of Hawaii Board of Regents, the first on the Public Utilities Commission and she co-founded the Hawaii Women’s Legislative Caucus.
Born on October 29, 1929, she grew up in a two-bedroom home with eight siblings, the Hawaii United Okinawa Association says. Her parents immigrated from Okinawa and taught her to work in the spirit of cooperation or Yuimaru. Her family moved from Maui to Honolulu when she was 12 in 1941.
She married Francis Young and raised three children. Both became active in the community and politics with Francis serving as a fire captain. He died at the age of 46 and Patsy raised her children as a single mother.
Patsy is credited with passing legislation that enabled anyone who is 25% Hawaiian to inherit Hawaiian Homelands leases from close relatives.
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