Muriel "Lani" Giugni dedicated her life to her four daughters and her late husband Henry, who served as U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye's top aide and Senate sergeant at arms.
When she died on Tuesday at her home in Potomac, Md., all four of her daughters were gathered at her side.
"Our mother created a home environment where the lives of her children and husband were able to bloom," daughter Deborah McMillan said in a written statement. "She was part of the greatest generation of women who dedicated their lives to raising their family. She was selfless with her friends and family."
Muriel Roselani Giugni was born in Pearl City on June 10, 1926. The area was rural and she raised chickens, dogs and horses. She rode her horse "Chief" in many parades.
At age 20, she married Henry Giugni. The couple moved to Washington, D.C., in 1962 when her husband took a job with Inouye.
Her husband was a key figure at the Capitol for nearly 45 years, as Inouye's aide and confidant, as the U.S. Senate's first sergeant at arms of Polynesian ancestry and as vice chairman of Cassidy & Associates, one of Washington's leading public policy consulting firms.
"Lani and Henry were married for nearly 60 years, and their life together was filled with love and devotion. I am certain that both Lani and Henry, who passed away a year ago, are happy to be together again," Inouye said in a news release. "The Giugnis, in the great Hawaiian tradition, were a happy 'ohana filled with love. I will miss Lani as much as I miss Henry."
Giugni is survived by brothers, George "Buddy" Austen and Edmund "Denny" Austen; sister, Kanani Donahue; daughters, Deborah McMillan and Kealoha, Heather and Gina Giugni; 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Services in Hawai'i are pending.
Contributor: Gloria Rodrigues (48703863) • [email protected]