A Hawaii real estate industry veteran whose career spanned more than 40 years and included co-founding one of the dominant residential brokerage firms in the state has died.

Barbara Fritschi Dew was 89.

Dew was a principal who helped form Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties as part of a merger of four kama aina real estate firms in 1996. Up until about seven years ago, she was still working for the company, helping aspiring agents understand industry values and become licensed.

"She touched a lot of people," said daughter Nancy Metcalf, who followed her mother into the profession as a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Pacific. "She was a great mentor, mom and friend."

Metcalf said she was initially dissuaded from getting into the business because she saw how much time and effort her mother dedicated to clients. Moreover, though, she saw how much her mom loved the profession.

Dew was born in Honolulu on Sept. 15, 1924, and graduated from Punahou School in 1942. After spending two years at the University of California at Berkeley, then returning to Hawaii and starting a family, Dew got into the real estate business with a small firm in 1963. After branching out on her own, she partnered with Herb Conley Sr. in 1973 to form Real Estators Ltd., which was later re-branded Conley Dew Ltd.

In 1996, Coldwell Banker Pacific was created in a merger among Conley Dew, Coldwell Banker McCormack Real Estate, Bradley Properties Ltd. and Dolman Associates.

The combination of the four companies formed a brokerage firm with 350 sales associates in 11 offices on Oahu. Today the firm has more than 400 sales associates and employees in five offices, and rivals Prudential Locations as the biggest residential property brokerage business in Hawaii.

Family and friends said Dew was a leader in the local real estate industry who ascended to such a position with graciousness and a commitment to elevate education and professionalism.

"She was a classy lady, a real professional," said Mike McCormack, one of Coldwell Banker Pacific’s founding principals.

Herb Conley Jr., who ran Conley Dew with Dew before the merger, said his former partner never focused on big deals, high volume or making a ton of money. "Her whole life was helping other people," he said. "It was ‘Let’s just do good things.’ She was an amazing person."

Dew’s career included serving as a commissioner on the Hawaii Real Estate Commission from 1990 to 1998, being a director for the National Association of Realtors and president of the Hawaii Association of Realtors.

Industry awards included being named Realtor of the Year by the Hawaii Association of Realtors in 1986 and by the Honolulu Board of Realtors in 1993.

Late in life, during what Conley said would be someone’s typical retirement years, Dew helped establish and run a pre-licensing training program.

Dew, who was a resident at Arcadia Retirement Residence, died Dec. 19 surrounded by family and friends. She is survived by Metcalf and two other daughters, Beverly Van Horne and Jane Woods; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Services are scheduled for Jan. 18 with a memorial service at 2 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Cathedral followed by a 3:30 p.m. reception at Punahou School’s chapel courtyard.

Dew’s family would like to direct donations to organizations Dew was involved in: Cottey College, Punahou School and YWCA of Oahu.