Arthur “Art” Rautio passed away on Tuesday September 5, 2023 at home in Maui after facing cancer with grace and dignity. He was surrounded by his friends and family until the end. 

Arthur Matthew Rautio was born on November 24, 1948 to the late Josephine Angelina Rautio (nee Torza) and Arthur Axel Rautio in Hartford, Connecticut. An only child, Art spent most of his time growing up with his cousin and next door neighbor, Francis Casale. Family was very important to the Rautio household, and their home was often the hub for large gatherings of the extended family for holidays and other celebrations.

Art started his education at the Kingswood Oxford school in West Hartford, where he enjoyed writing for the school paper in addition to playing guitar and piano. Afterwards he attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, continuing on to also receive his Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering. Perhaps influenced by his CPA father, he shifted his focus to finance and attended Harvard Business School where he received a Masters of Business Administration. 

He joined PepsiCo shortly after, taking every opportunity to move himself and his family across the globe to places such as Toronto and South Africa before returning to Connecticut to work at their headquarters in Purchase, NY. In 1990 he left PepsiCo to break into the restaurant business with Tricon in Hong Kong, which later became Yum! Brands in Singapore. Arthur was instrumental to the tremendous growth of the company during this period; known for his personable nature, keen business sense and managerial acumen. Before his retirement in 2010 he had reached the position of General Manager for Asia; but his love for the job had him doing consulting work long after that.

It was in Singapore where he met his current wife, Manlika “Oie'' Tangchat and they were married on October 22nd 2006. When it came time to retire, he chose to stay closer to Asia and moved to Kula on the island of Maui. Until recently, he could be found doing his daily grueling walk up Kamehameiki Road with his good friend Howie “Maui'' Eintracht. Oie and Art would travel often, spending a portion of their time at their home in Thailand as well as spending summers with relatives and friends all over the world.

Arthur is predeceased by his parents, Josephine and Arthur Rautio. He is survived by his wife, Manlika, his former wife Tuula Rautio (nee Kettu) and their sons Eric and John-Paul Rautio, their wives Ren Rautio (nee McDermott) and Soraya Hutchinson, and his grandchildren Odin, Ray, Mina, Ansel, and Nami. 

Art will be honored in a celebration of life on Sunday, September 24th from 2-5pm at Mahalo Alehouse. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to a Maui Hospice or your choice of charity in his stead. We would like to express our thanks to the staff of Hospice Maui, his caregivers and all of the friends and family that helped make Arthur’s final days comfortable.