Catherine “Kitty” Yannone, the veteran public relations executive renowned for her ardent advocacy and ferocious but friendly sparring on behalf of Hawaii businesses and causes, died Friday at the age of 69.
Yannone announced in May that she was closing her public relations firm, CommPac LLC, after a 54-year run, to focus on her fight with ovarian cancer. Yannone worked at CommPac from 1986 to 1994 before buying the firm in 1998.
“She wore many hats — mom, tutu, daughter, sister, friend, mentor, colleague, advisor, and more — and she wore each with fierce love, loyalty, dedication, and deep gratitude. She taught us to live life fully, laugh often, and love deeply. We will miss her more than words can describe,” said her son, Chad Dudley, in a statement.
Yannone was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the fall of 2020. She fought for months at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu before going to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for clinical trials. She entered hospice two weeks ago.
CommPac, one of the oldest public relations companies in Hawaii, represented an array of businesses and nonprofit organizations over the years. Before the company closed May 31, clients included Alexander & Baldwin Inc., First Insurance Co. of Hawaii, G70, AHL and Oahu Publications Inc., parent of the Honolulu Star- Advertiser.
On Friday, friends and colleagues remembered Yannone as a straight shooter who fought hard for anything she set her heart and mind to. Intellect and integrity guided her professional persona, and irreverent instances endeared her to all who knew her.
In a March 2020 interview with the Star-Advertiser, Yannone reminded local candidates that voters are “smart, more cynical than ever, and too many are justifiably apathetic.”
“Stand up and lead when necessary instead of deflecting or ignoring problems, and take time to really understand the issues and speak knowledgeably about ideas and solutions,” she said. “If you make a mistake, admit it, discuss it, apologize and tell us how you will make things right. Tell the truth, and above all don’t put personal political gains above public service.”
Difficult decision
Former Gov. Linda Lingle was with Yannone when she made the decision to enter hospice care.
The pair became the “best of friends” when Yannone helped with every one of Lingle’s races for Washington Place, starting with her first run in 2002 when few people recognized the former Maui mayor on a statewide political stage.
Lingle told the Star-Advertiser in an interview that Yannone was “a fighter,” and noted her tremendous work for Hawaii nonprofits that served some of the community’s most pressing needs.
When she realized she had to make some hard decisions about the path forward after her time at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Yannone approached it the “same way she did everything else,” with focus, smart decisions and all-out effort.
She gathered her family and made the moves she knew she needed to make.
When Lingle went to see Yannone in mid-May in Houston, she brought a package of letters and notes from the students, faculty and staff of Assets School, where Yannone served as chair of the board of trustees. The well wishes brought Yannone great joy, Lingle said.
“I want people to know that if Kitty was on your side, it was 1,000%. It didn’t matter … she never wavered once she was your advocate,” said Lingle, who described her friend as smart, funny and irreverent. “Kitty was real; she didn’t pretend, ever, to be something that she wasn’t. She was just an all-around wonderful person. Her journey here ended too soon. She was one of a kind.”
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi told the Star- Advertiser in an interview that he had “nothing but praise” for his good friend. Blangiardi described her as the “consummate communications professional” who knew everyone in town she needed to know. And everybody who knew her respected her, Blangiardi said.
“We shared an Italian heritage. In that regard I embraced her passion, her vocabulary and her authenticity. Kitty was Kitty,” said Blangiardi. “If she believed in something, she really got behind it. If Kitty was involved with it, she would somehow, some way make sure it was successful. She knew what she was talking about. Kitty was the real deal.”
Before joining CommPac, Yannone was a founding board member and the first executive director of Hawaii’s Ronald McDonald House.
She also served as vice president of the Kapiolani Health Foundation and had served as a board member of the American Red Cross-Hawaii Chapter, Bishop Museum, the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra and Diamond Head Theatre.
Honolulu attorney Gregory M. Sato, a labor and employment partner with Kobayashi, Sugita and Goda, told the Star-Advertiser that as chair of the Assets School board of trustees, she guided the school through the COVID-19 pandemic and the Red Hill water contamination crisis.
“She was a tireless advocate, visionary and worker for a more just community that recognized the value of every member of our inclusive society,” Sato said. “Kitty had an ability to bring calm to any crisis with her ability to see the core issue, articulate a workable solution and to develop a resonate message that moved parties to compromise.”
Academically inclined
Yannone grew up in California and moved to Hawaii in 1976 to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature. Yannone served six years on the university’s Board of Regents, including two years as vice chair and two years as chair.
University of Hawaii President David Lassner told the Star-Advertiser that Yannone was “an incredibly passionate and committed supporter of the University of Hawaii, her alma mater.”
“She helped lead the Board of Regents through some extraordinarily challenging times with integrity, strength and heart,” Lassner said. “We were fortunate to enjoy the benefits of her wisdom and wit in equal measure. She fought cancer with all she had and will be sorely missed.”
A lifelong Democrat who began to approach politics on a candidate-by- candidate, issue-by-issue basis in the mid-1990s, Yannone was respected by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Former Gov. Ben Cayetano, and his wife, Honolulu businesswoman Vicky Cayetano, admired Yannone for her business acumen and authenticity.
“She and I were on opposite sides politically at one time during the 1998 election. We became friends after that,” Ben Cayetano told the Star-Advertiser in an interview. “Kitty was a person of really strong character, and I thought she had a great deal of integrity. The fight she put up in battling her cancer was just an incredible display of personal courage. We’ll miss her. I’m glad she was a part of our lives.”
Vicky Cayetano lauded Yannone for being a pioneer for women in business and also in the community.
“She never hesitated to speak her mind and I appreciate that. She was just very genuine. She would say it like it is. She would not hesitate to disagree with me or my husband,” Cayetano said. “I appreciate her as a person. She really fought a good fight.”
Yannone is survived by her mother, Lorraine Yannone; sons Chad and Kalin Dudley; five grandchildren; brothers Steven Yannone and Alex Yannone; and sister Judy Ferguson.
Details of a memorial service will be released in the coming weeks.
