Cindy Luis, a trailblazer as a woman sportswriter and editor in Hawaii, died overnight peacefully at her home in Kailua, her son, Tiff Wells, said today.
Luis, 70, became the first woman sportswriter at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in 1981, and was the first woman to be sports editor of a daily newspaper in the state, also at the Star-Bulletin. She enjoyed a long career, retiring in 2023.
“She wasn’t ill, so it is very surprising,” Wells said. “She usually paddles at Kailua Beach on Sundays. When she didn’t show up, her paddling friends were concerned and checked on her. We’re told it was either late last night or this morning, and it was natural causes.”
She was known mostly for her coverage of University of Hawaii women’s sports, especially UH volleyball. But Luis covered every major beat in Hawaii at various times.
“I’m saddened beyond words,” said Star-Advertiser sports editor Curtis Murayama, who knew Luis since the early 1980s. “Cindy was a terrific writer, colleague and person. She loved sports, the Hawaii culture and was so proud of her son, Tiff. Our sports staff is in a state of shock and sadness right now.”
Luis was inducted into the UH Sports Circle of Honor last year. She and Ann Miller, a competitor and colleague for decades and herself a pioneer in women’s sports media in Hawaii, were both in the Circle’s class of 2024.
Luis covered five UH national championship volleyball teams – three of the women’s championship squads in the 1980s, and the 2021 and 2022 men’s teams.
There was a moment of silence in observance of Luis’ passing before the start of today’s UH baseball game at Les Murakami Stadium.
Her son, Tiff Wells, is the radio voice of UH men’s and women’s volleyball.
She will be sorely missed. May God Bless her and her ohana.