A prominent leader in Marriage Encounter, family ministry
Don Chu, who with his wife June was a prominent leader in the Catholic Marriage Encounter movement and headed the diocesan family life ministry office in the 1980s, died July 10 at Kahala Nui’s Hiolani Care Center in Honolulu. He was 81.
His funeral services are July 19 at Star of the Sea Church in Waialae-Kahala, beginning with visitation at 9 a.m., eulogy and Mass at 10 a.m. followed by lunch in the church hall at noon.
After making their own weekend Marriage Encounter retreat in 1973, Don and June embraced the movement. Their energetic leadership as members of the executive team beginning in 1975 led to an expansion of the Worldwide Marriage Encounter throughout the Pacific and Pacific Rim. They gave hundreds of retreats and trained dozens of leaders in Hawaii, on the Mainland, and in the Philippines, Guam, Korea, Japan, Kuala Lumpur, Sri Lanka and Belize.
Don and June also provided Hawaii parishes with religious education, youth ministry, marriage preparation, parenting counseling and lay ministry development. Bishop Joseph Ferrario appointed them in 1985 as co-directors of the diocesan Family Life Ministry, a position they held for four years.
Chu was born in Honolulu on May 20, 1933. He graduated from St. Louis High School in 1951, and married June in 1956. He earned a bachelor’s of education degree from the University of Hawaii and a master’s from Regis college. He also served in the U.S. Air Force for four years.
He worked for a number of companies in the area of data processing. His last job before retirement was teaching data processing at Kapiolani Community College.
Chu is survived by his wife June, daughters Donna Delaney of Fremont, Calif., and Diane Shizuru of Honolulu, son David Chu of Arcadia, Calif., and grandchildren David Delaney, Dax Shizuru, Samantha Shizuru, Michael Chu and Nicole Chu.
