One day after his wife was stabbed to death by an apparent stranger, the husband of Asa Yamashita said he has lost his best friend and soul mate and worries about their two young daughters.

Bryan Yamashita said he will take several weeks off from his teaching duties at Nanakuli High School after his wife was killed around 1:30 p.m. yesterday as she sat on a concrete bench at the Ewa Town Center eating saimin.

The couple had adopted daughters Katie, 7, and Tori, 4, from China, and Yamashita said they are now his focus.

"It's not going to do anything to harbor ill feelings," he said.

Asa Yamashita also was an educator. Colleagues said yesterday she worked as a "literacy coach" at Wai'anae High School, where she was remembered fondly.

Tittleman Fauatea, 25, who used to live a few blocks from the shopping center, remains in police custody tonight on suspicion of second-degree murder.