Hawaiʻi State Senate to host remembrance honoring former Congresswoman and Senate President Colleen Hanabusa

The Hawaiʻi State Senate will honor the life and service of former Congresswoman and Senate President Colleen Wakako Hanabusa on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in the Senate Chamber at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol.  

Born on May 4, 1951, Hanabusa dedicated decades of service to the people of Hawaiʻi. She represented Hawaiʻi’s First Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives for three terms and served 12 years in the Hawaiʻi State Senate representing her hometown of Waiʻanae on Oʻahu’s westside. In 2007, she became the first woman to serve as Senate President and the first woman to lead either chamber of Hawaiʻi’s Legislature.  

Hanabusa passed away on March 6, 2026.   

A graduate of St. Andrew’s Priory School, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and the William S. Richardson School of Law, she is survived by her husband John Souza and her two beloved Australian Shepards Frannie and Pupper.   

The public is invited to attend this remembrance at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol, Senate Chamber. Doors will open at 9:45 a.m., with the program beginning at 10 a.m. Public seating will be available in the Senate Chamber gallery.