Kunihiko Shiba

Waynesville-Kunihiko Shiba, age 66, died Thursday, October 11, 2007 unexpectedly at his residence. A native of Paauillo, Hawaii, he was the son of the late Arch Bishop Kakuo and Kikuno Shiba. Kuni practiced and instructed Judo for the better part of fifty years. He placed second in the 1964 Olympic trials in NY while in the Army. Kuni was awarded a baseball scholarship to the University of Hawaii. He earned a sixth degree black belt from the Kododan in Japan. He also earned black belts in Aikido, Kendo, and Shodokan Karate. Kuni was the promotion director of the U.S. Judo Inc. and helped found several Judo Clubs throughout the South. He taught self defense classes to Haywood County's local law enforcement agencies for three years. He was a director and instructor for the Denver School of Judo. He was a veteran of the United States Army, and was in the Jerome Arkansas Internment camp during World War II. He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Navus E. Shiba; Craig K. Shiba, of Corona, CA; one daughter, Misti Carver, and her husband, Charles Ray Jr., of Canton; one son, two sisters, Amy Abe and her husband, James of Pearl City, Hawaii and Ann Lee, and her husband, Warren of Waimea, Hawaii; one brother, Kenji Shiba, and his wife, Margaret of Hilo, Waimea, Hawaii; one grandson, Christopher A. Jones, two nephews, one niece, one great- nephew and one great- niece. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, October 14, 2007 in the Waynesville Chapel of Wells Funeral Home with the Reverend Tim Owens officiating. The family will receive friends from 12:30 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. prior to the service at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 2680, Canton, Ohio 44720.

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