After graduating from Kauai High School in 1955, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Colorado State College in 1960 and her master’s degree from the University of La Verne in 1983.
She married her high school sweetheart George H Okinaka in 1958.
Betsey has dedicated more than 40 years in teaching and held a wide range of teaching assignments including regular education, migrant education, and special education. She was both a master teacher and a mentor teacher and served as a consultant to her district’s pre-service new-teacher training program. She was described by her superintendent as “a jewel in the crown” of the district. Betsey was named the South Whittier School District Teacher of the Year in 1995 and the Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year in 1996.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, George H Okinaka, in 1984 and her sister, Victoria Dempsey, in 2022. She is survived by her daughter, Cheryl Warren and her husband David, son, Duane H Okinaka and his wife Katie, and her 3 grandchildren, Kayla, Takara, and Albert. She is also survived by brother, John Uchima, sister-in-law, Violet Uchima, and her nephews and nieces.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.rosehills.com for the Okinaka family.
