Merle Moanikeʻala Kaʻeo ʻUʻu
Aug. 14, 1939 – Aug. 3, 2020
Hoʻolehua, Molokai – Merle Moanikeʻala Kaʻeo ʻUʻu, 80, passed away peacefully on Aug. 3, 2020, at her home on Homestead Lot 74. She was born on Aug. 14, 1939, in Honolulu, the youngest daughter of Samuel Kaʻiminaʻauao Kaʻeo and Hilda Naʻohiaokamalu Bishaw.
Merle attended McKinley High School, where as a junior she reigned as May Day Queen. She married twice before finally settling on the love of her life John Konohia ʻUʻu on Dec. 28, 1987, and they celebrated almost 32 years of marriage. She was a dedicated member of Ierusalema Hou Church in Hālawa and an officer of the Molokai Cancer Fund.
Merle was predeceased by her husband John, brothers William Kahāʻulelio Kaʻeo (Suzy), Samuel Kaʻiminaʻauao Kaʻeo (Julia) and Donald Abraham Kaʻeo (Bye) and her Aunty Lucy Kuʻulei Perez (John) and is survived by Elodea LaFern Lauaʻe Canto and Clevis Leilani Kaʻeo (Pansy).
She is also survived by her children Ronette Moanikeʻala Castro (Moku), Ronald Igarta, Jr (Karen), Olivia Haunani Ayau, Edward Halealoha Ayau (Kainani), and Sharay Keala Ho (Darren); 17 grandchildren including Mikiʻala Pescaia (Keoki) and Reychelle Nicole Kuʻuipo Moanikeʻala Ayau-Odom (Kaipoleimanu); Gabrielle Helene Alohilani Igarta, Sophia Grace Kaleihoʻomaikaʻikalaʻi Igarta and Annika Celeste Kalakapuaʻiwaʻiwa Igarta; Micah-Shayne Kamaliʻiokalani Monis-Ayau, Isaiah Konohia Leialoha Monis-Ayau, Genesis Haunani Wailana Querubin-Ayau (Maka) and Lacey-Ann Sanoe Kuʻuipo Leinaʻala Kai Duarte-Ayau; Isaac Kekoa Ho, Shayna Moani Dell (Corey), Kalena Leialoha Pōmaikaʻi Ho (Kianna); Marianne Kaleialohaokalāhuihawaiʻiloakaʻiminaʻauokaʻeo Hammersley, Hattie Keonaona Niolopā Hāpai, Kaniaulono Kaluahine Momilaniakanani Hāpai, Hāʻenaala ʻIwakealiʻi Kuʻuleimakamae Pānui Hāpai, and Kūaea Iwikauikapoʻeleʻele Kukuiokanaloa Kūkauakahi Hāpai; and 18 great-grandchildren.
Rosalyn Wai Sheong Nobrega
July 24, 1942 – Dec. 2, 2020
Hanapēpē, Kauaʻi – Rosalyn Wai Sheong Nobrega of Hanapēpē Valley, Kona, Kauaʻi, was born on July 24, 1942, and passed peacefully at her home on Dec. 2, 2020. She was 78 years old.
She was a proud graduate of ʻEleʻele School and Waimea High School Class of 1960. Much of her career was committed to the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation where she served the Kauaʻi Highways Division, the Kauaʻi Harbors Division, and also retired as an office manager for the Kauaʻi Airports Division. She also retired as an office manager for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Līhuʻe office. Rosalyn was a skilled salt and lei maker, community advocate and leader who was active in Native Hawaiian organizations like the Hui Hana Paʻakai o Hanapēpē, Waikīkī Hawaiian Civic Club, and Kaumualiʻi Hawaiian Civic Club.
Her joy was also found in surrounding herself with her beloved ʻohana.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Gilbert Nobrega Jr., son Mark Nobrega, parents Joseph and Helen Chu, and granddaughter, Kaʻaiʻōhelo Nobrega-Olivera.
She is survived by son Gilbert (Babes) Nobrega III, of Hanapēpē Valley, Kauaʻi, daughter Gina “Malia” (Victor) Nobrega-Olivera of Hanapēpē Valley, Kauaʻi, six grandchildren – Nainoa, Nanea, Kanoe, Kamakani, Ashleigh, and Genoa, 10 great-grandchildren – Kekoa, Eli, Kaizeah, Kaiʻolu, Kailana, Shyah, Jordyn, Nyjah, Avery, and Easton, sisters Helene Kanahele of Hanapēpē Valley, Kauaʻi, and Josephine (Sidney) Greenly of Fountain Valley, California, and brothers Joseph (Jane) Chu of Hemet, California, and Henry (Shermane) Chu of Kahului, Maui.
Kenneth Woo
April 14, 1918 – March 31, 2017
My grandfather passed on March 31, 2017, 14 days shy of his 99th birthday. I sat with his body that evening while we sorted through the final steps of sending him off to be with my tutu lady, who had passed 10 years before. In the early morning of the next day, across the Kaʻiwi channel, my cousin Kaʻala Fay was awoken by my tutu lady and this Kanikau came to her.
No Kenneth Woo, ke kāne a Ivy Kalani Hanakahi Woo, koʻu aloha nui.
He makuakāne aloha na Erna Hoakalei Cotton, Maile Andrade, Stenneth Hiapoʻole Woo, me Claudia Uʻilani Woo. He kupunakāne laha ʻole nō hoʻi na kāna mau pua.
He Aloha no Puna
Luʻuluʻu Puna i ka uluhala,
Ua inu i ka wai hoʻomalule o ka pūnāwai Koʻolihilihi o Puna,
He uʻi lani lā ia na ka Moanilehua,
He hoa ka lei lā ia na ka Puʻulena.
Iā Makaliʻi lau ʻawaʻawa ka uka o Puna,
Puna paia ʻaʻala i ka hala,
Ua hala nō i ka uʻi o ka makalehua
He hāliʻi ia o ke aloha i kūpaoa ʻia maila e ka maile lauliʻi.
Ma laila nō i nalowale i loko o nā ʻohu wai o ka nahele.
Ua hele nō me ka hiapo, he aloha pau ʻole lā.
Mili ʻia e ka makani hali ʻala o Puna.
Ua hoʻi akula i ka nani o
ka lanipili, ka Lanipōlua, ka lanikeha
o ke ala loa.
He aloha nō, he aloha nō, he aloha a mau loa.
Apelila 1, 2017 Molokaʻi
Kaʻala Fay Camara
Ruby Leimomi Hanakahi Camara
July 23, 1920 – May 16, 2007
Kuʻu Leimomi O Kalamaʻula
Kiʻekiʻe Kamākou kāhela i ka makani,
kani aʻe ka manu ʻihiʻihi o uka,
i uka ʻo Kālaʻe i ka laʻelaʻe mālie,
mālie mai i ka uluwehiwehi o Hoʻolehua,
he ʻākelakela nā lehua o Kaʻana,
kaʻa mai nā maka ʻōlinolino ma luna o Maunaloa,
loloa ka ihona i ka Hale kapu o Lono,
lono aʻe kou inoa kapu lā ē.
Hala i ke ala polihua a Kāne, i ke koʻiʻula,
i Ka lua o nā koʻi e moe loa ai,
ma Molokaʻi i ka poli o Hina,
a kū mai Kalāʻau a hui pū i Pālāʻau,
he pouhana paʻa maoli nō.
Nou ka iwa laha ʻole,
i ke kula wale o Kalaupapa,
nā papapa lēʻia o ke koʻolau,
lau aʻe ke kāhiko i ke kumu pali,
pali mai nā maka i ke kiliʻohu,
he kiliʻoʻopu ko Makaluahau,
hau mai ka ua lani pili, he puʻupilo ko Pelekunu,
lēʻia ʻo Kikipua i ka ʻekepuʻe o Wailau,
nahā ka huewai, a kahe ka wai.
He wailele ʻo Moaʻula i ka hoʻolua noe o Hālawa,
ua lawa ka hā, ua pio ke kukui o Lanikāula,
i ke alopali o Honouli,
mai ka Uliwai a i ka Ulimāloʻo, ola kou inoa ē.
Mai ka launāhelehele o Honomuni i uka,
a i ka moaniheleʻia o Kainalu i kai,
oeoe kou hele ʻana a kū, a kō.
He koʻokoʻo lawakua o nā kama,
he pohakupaʻa o Kaʻamola. Ka pōhaku kihi paʻa nō!
Kaʻa hou mai nā maka i ka liholiho o Kalamaʻula,
i pulapula mai i ka mōlalelale i ʻĀpua Kalamaʻula.
He lama kū i ka ʻūkiukiu i ka lawelawe mālie o ke ala hou.
He ala hou e hoʻi aku ai i ke kehakeha o ka lani.
Ua wehiwehi ka lani i ka lei ʻaʻala.
Pāoa hoʻi ke onaona o ka pīkake.
He Leimomi Hawaiʻi nō ia e hinuhinu ana i ka lā.
Ua kolo mai ka uhiwailani,
a pā ʻoluʻolu mai i ka lihilihi o ia makahala.
E nā makamaka,
mai ka wehena ʻōnohi maka i ka mehana hulali hoʻi o ka lā,
a nalowale nā maka a hūnā i ke ao uli,
aloha e kuʻu makamaka ē.
I kuʻu hāliu ʻana aku i nā maka onaona i hōʻea loa mai i kēia lā, kū ia mau maka iā Kupuna. ʻIke ʻia kēlā ahi wela e ʻenaʻena ana i loko. He ʻiʻini nui nō ia i kanu ʻia i loko o kākou e Kupunahine.
He lamalama kū a mau loa.
Hoʻomanaʻo iho nei au i ka moʻolelo a Kupuna i haʻi mau ai i nā moʻopuna no ko kākou one hānau, no kēlā pōhaku kaulana ʻo Kalamaʻula. Penei ka moʻo ʻana o kāna ʻōlelo iā mākou:
Ua lilo hoʻi he nohea, ke kaikamahine a ke aliʻi o Pālāʻau ma Molokaʻi nui a Hina, i ka hoʻohihi me ke kama o Kālaʻe. Ua paʻa lāua i ka pilina hūnākele i nā ahiahi he nui wale me ka ʻike ʻole o nā mākua. I kēlā pō, kēia pō, ua hui lāua ma kahi o ka pōhaku paʻa nui e kū ana i ka malu ʻūkiukiu a pilipuka mau a hiki i ka pawa o ka ʻehu kakahiaka. Hoʻi koke akula lāua i kauhale i ʻole ʻike ʻia e nā mākua. Akā, ua lohe ke aliʻi no kēia hui malū ʻana o lāua a piʻi koke akula ke aliʻi i uka i ke kilianu o Kālaʻe. Kauoha ʻia ke kāne ʻōpio e ʻoki pau loa i kēia pilina o lāua nei. I ia pō nō, ua hoʻi ke kamaliʻiwahine i kahi i hui mau ai a moe ana ma luna o ka pōhaku pili. Ua alia mai, alia mai, kali mai, ʻaʻohe maliu iki ʻia mai. Wehe mai ke alaula, ʻōliliko nei līhau e hoʻohehelo ana i nei papalina. Lamalama mai ana ka lā a ʻulaʻula ana kahi pōhaku paʻa. ʻAʻohe kāne aloha kū ana i ka hiki ʻana mai o ka lā. E like me kona aloha palena ʻole no ia kama, pēlā hoʻi kona kūpaʻa. Ua kali ʻo ia ma luna o ia pōhaku, he mau lā. ʻEnaʻena ana i ka wela o ka lā a koʻekoʻe ana i ka make anu o ka pō. ʻAʻohe kāne aloha i hiki mai. ʻO ka pōhaku ʻo Kalamaʻula kai mea i ʻike ʻia ai a hiki i kēia lā.
E like hoʻi me ka paʻa mau loa o ka pōhaku Kalamaʻula e kū ana ma ke ʻano he hōʻailona o ke kūpaʻa o ke aloha, pēlā hoʻi kahi kupunahine o kākou.
“He pōhaku kihi paʻa.”
Paepae ʻia ka pōhaku, a paʻa ke kāhua ma muli o ia pōhaku kihi paʻa. ʻO Kupuna ka pouhana o ka ʻohana. He leo paipai kēia iā kākou e kūpaʻa mau ma ka hānai kūpono ʻana i kā kākou mau keiki. E hoʻomanaʻo mau i nā haʻawina i aʻo ʻia e Kupuna a e hoʻomau i ke aʻo ʻana aku i nā kama o kēia au nei.
E mālama mua i ka ʻohana, ʻoiai ke maikaʻi mua o loko pēlā pū o waho.
E makaʻala i kāu ʻōlelo. Ma ka ʻōlelo nō ke ola, ma ka ʻōlelo nō ka make. Makemake e lanakila ma ke ola. A e maʻemaʻe. E maʻemaʻe mua ka naʻau me ka noʻonoʻo a e ʻike ʻia ana ka maʻemaʻe o kou noho ʻana.
E ʻimi mau kākou i ka lanakila ma ia mau mea a Kupuna i aʻo ai, ʻo ka mālama ʻohana, ʻo ka makaʻala ʻōlelo, ʻo ka maʻemaʻe hoʻi, i lilo kākou, ʻo kākou nā pōhaku kihi paʻa o ko kākou hale ponoʻī, i paʻa ia kahua no nā hanaunau hou.
He leo mahalo kēia iā kākou i ka ʻākoakoa nui ʻana mai i kēia lā no ka hoʻolewalewa ʻana iā Kupuna a hoʻi mālie ʻo ia i ka lani kiʻekiʻe. E hoʻomanaʻo mau i kāna i aʻo mai a me kona aloha nui iā kākou,
i pulapula hou mai i mōlalelale i ʻĀpua Kalamaʻula.
na kāna pua lehua, na Kaʻala Fay Camara
July 23, 1920 – May 16, 2007
Kalamaʻula, Molokaʻi
