Arviella Kelii Obituary

In January 1940, Arviella Puanani Kelii was born in Honolulu, Hawai'i as the eldest daughter to Joseph Waialae & Sarah Akau. She grew up in Kalihi & Nānākuli Hawaiian Homestead. She was the 3rd child of 12; Joseph, Gerald, Arviella, Roger, Bethsine, Genevieve, Roberta, Ethel-Mae, George, Dianah, Sarah & Nelson. She attended Nānāikapono Elementary School. She graduated from Farrington High School in 1958. Her lifelong profession since childhood was lei making, passed down from her mother. She managed Tina's Lei Stand at the Airport & Hilton Hawaiian Village lobby lei stand. Her siblings, "The Waialae Brothers" were founded & well known. Arviella married Herman Afoa Kelii in November 1957. Together they birthed 7 children; Herman Jr., Elroy, Rogeitte, James, Mapuana, Colin, & Arviella. She coordinated Native Hawaiian Culture & Arts classes on the Waianae Coast to educate the community in olelo Hawaii, ukulele, feather lei making, kuiki quilting, & opelu project just to name a few. In 1993, Arviella's husband Herman Kelii Sr. went to heaven. As a widow, she dedicated her life to raising her children and grandchildren, reassuring that everyone around her learned to love the Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. She then moved to Okinawa, Japan. She traveled to Taiwan, Guam, Philippines and New Zealand to do God's work as a missionary praying & providing medical care. She spent a total of 11 years in Japan & returned to Hawaiʻi in 2006. Arviella Puanani Kelii's legacy can be remembered in the making of a flower lei. Generationally, her children, grandchildren & great grandchildren know the values of unity in family through the practice of Ho oponopono that teaches the power of prayer, forgiveness, & unconditional love. Arviella Puanani Kelii entered heaven on September 13, 2024. Survived by her siblings, Roberta Searle, Dianah (Carl) Siegmund, Sarah Chun & Martha Waialae; sons, Kahu Herman Kelii Jr., & Colin Kelii; daughters, Rogeitte (Manuel) Bernardino, Mapuana (Shayne) Tector, & Arviella (Antonio) Benavides; Lehunani (Danny) Akau; 38 grandchildren; 72 great-grandchildren; 12 great-great-grandchildren. Memorial will be held on Thursday, November 21, 2024 at Mililani Mortuary Mauka Chapel. Visitation at 6:00 pm. Service at 7:00 pm. Burial will be held on Friday, November 22, 2024, 10:00 am at Nānākuli Homestead Cemetery.