HILO — Downtown Hilo lost a local institution Monday when Ralph K.Y. Lau died at home at age 96.

Shortly after graduating from Hilo High School in the summer of 1930, Lau became owner and manager of the Hilo Dry Goods Ltd., and led the store until its closure in 1996.
"It's time for us to retire," the Hilo-born Lau told the Tribune-Herald at the time. But it was a premature statement.
For the next 12 years, Lau managed his rental properties from a second-floor office.
"He went to work every day until he was 95. It was only last year, July, that he wasn't able to walk up the 25 steps," said daughter Karen Sullivan of Kailua, Oahu.
Hilo Dry Goods was founded in 1915 by 10 Chinese immigrants, among them Lau King Fai.
As each of the original partners retired and returned to China, the elder Lau bought up their shares. When he died, his sons took over the business.
In meetings over coffee in 1962, Ralph Lau, Fred Koehnen and others put together plans for what became the Hilo Downtown Improvement Association, and Lau later served as the organization's president.
Lau also served on a committee to plan the 1968 Merry Monarch Festival, as it was known, after which the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce handed it off to Dottie Thompson. He was also the first Chinese-American member of the Hilo Yacht Club. Lau also served on the Chinese Cemetery Board and the Kiwanis Club.
"Hilo was his life and downtown Hilo was his blood," Sullivan said.
And whatever happened to that large brass cash register, the whirring, clanging National one that rang up sales at the Hilo Dry Goods for 81 years? It's still in the family home.
Friends of Lau may call 9-10 a.m. Thursday at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Hilo; a memorial Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. The family requests casual attire and no flowers.
Lau is also survived by his wife, Beatrice Lau of Hilo; his daughters, Cheryl Lau of Carson City, Nev., Lisa Staley of Seattle; his sister, Nit Ung Wong of Hilo; and three grandchildren.
Dodo Mortuary is handling arrangements.