Funeral services for Rev. Yoshiaki Fujitani, originally scheduled for Sunday, which would have been his 98th birthday, have been postponed due to the rise in COVID-19 cases and state mandates.

Fujitani, who served as bishop of the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii for 12 years beginning in 1975, died May 17 at the Kuakini Medical Center at the age of 97.

An announcement will be made when services are rescheduled.

Fujitani was considered a visionary and trailblazer, working with other faiths, helping to found community nonprofits to care for seniors, seek social justice and equality and provide faith-based counseling services regardless of religious affiliation.

He was born on Maui, the son of a Buddhist priest. He served in the U.S. Army’s Military Intelligence Service during World War II, and after the war attended the University of Chicago and Kyoto University where he studied religion and Buddhism.