Aloha 'Oe, Uncle Kazu!

My phone rang at 5:30 this morning; it was Bill, Laurel's husband. I knew immediately that Uncle Kazu had passed. Initially, we were told to be at the hospital at 6:30, then it was changed to 8:30 when the mortuary people would be there.

I called Tomiko, because of the time difference she would be the only one awake at that time. We started reminiscing about Uncle Kazu. We also talked about how lucky we are that our kupuna live so long that we have been able to cultivate relationships with them as adults; our memories of what we thought they were like when we were children is so different!

Uncle Kazu wasn't really my uncle, he is Mom's cousin; her mother and his father were siblings in the Mayahara family. Uncle Kazu was 1 year older than Mom and they were very close growing up and even as adults. Mom & Uncle Kazu's familial relationship makes Laurel & me cousins, though at what level & how many times removed the genealogists would say, I have no clue; we just say we're cousins!

Here's the only photo I really remember seeing of Uncle Kazu. It was taken in July 1961 at Keokea Beach Park. The caption that Mom put on it was something like, Camera shy!


When I think of Uncle Kazu, going fishing with him in his Willys Jeep is the first thing that pops in to my head; it's also one of Tomiko's memories of him. Here are some old photos I found, I'm not sure who took them, probably Dad.

Fishing at Kapaa Beach Park, July 1960.

Going fishing at Keokea Beach Park; Mom watches the kids swim. (July 1961)

Mom & Uncle Kazu taking a lunch break while fishing at Black Point. (July 1978)

With Dad at family dinner. (July 1979, photo by Mom?)

More recently, I started taking photos of the kupuna and other things. And Tomiko also took a bunch of photos, even some with Uncle Kazu's camera! When I would take him out to lunch he sometimes wanted to just pick up lunch and eat down at one of the beaches where they used to fish at that we could reach by car; we spent time at Mahukona, Kapaa Beach Park, and Keokea Beach Park.

With Mom at the Kohala Hospital. (July 2014)

Getting ready to start his laps around the parking lot. (July 2015)

With Aunty Daisy at Obon. (July 2016)

Receiving Christmas cards with Mom from the Girl Scouts. (December 2016)

Eating ice cream with Mom at the Kohala Farmstand on the road to Pololu Valley. (December 2017)

With Lefty at Obon. The bike flag is so people can see him in the hospital parking lot. (July 2017)

With Aunty Florence & Tomiko at the hospital. (July 2017)

Feeding Piglet. (July 2017)

My last glinpse of Uncle Kazu as I head for the airport in October 2017.

Feeding Piglet. (November 2017)

Making Kai exercise with him. (January 2018)

Lunch with Kai at Minnie's. (January 2018)

We stopped for ice cream on the way back to the hospital.

Eating chocolate ice cream at King's View Cafe. (July 2018)

With Lem at Obon. (July 2018)

With Lefty at Obon. (July 2018)

Watching TV with Kai while we wait to call Dad. (July 2018)

Speeding through the downhill slope of the parking lot. (September 2018)

Lunch with Aunty Daisy. (November 2018)

Lunch at Mahukona. (April 2019)

Ice cream at the hospital. April 2019)

Working off the ice cream. (April 2019)

I joined him on this walk, he did 0.51 miles! (April 2019)

With PT Sugi, practicing getting in & out of car. (June 2019)

Eating his birthday ice cream. (June 2, 2019)

Eating his birthday Ahi plate from Minnie's out on the lanaʻi. (June 2019)

The plans for the Outdoor Landscape Project. (June 2019)

I wonder if the catalyst for the path was Uncle Kazu exercising in the parking lot? (June 2019)

Eating ice cream with Kai, Tomiko, & Aunty Florence. (July 2019)

Plumeria lei from Pastor Steve. (April 2020)

I like to think of the footprints as Uncle Kazu starting on the path to rebirth & enlightenment. (April 2020)

Kazunobu Mayahara (06/02/1925-04/13/2020) (Photo by Tomiko, 11/2019)