Michael Vierra Obituary

We met Mike in the early 1970s when my wife Joy and our two-year-old son Ryan moved to Lahaina. I worked as a golf photographer on the Royal Kaanapali Golf Course, where Mike was the head bag boy. We soon became good friends with Mike and his wife Leola, who were members of the LDS church, Lahaina branch. We have so many wonderful memories of sharing potluck dinners together with our two young families. One of my favourite memories was making a comical 8mm movie called "The Golfball Bandet" that featured Mike and his sidekick Papa Joe. Mike had the concession to retrieve all the golf balls that went into the lake at the second hole on the course. He would put on his snorkel, fins and mask, dive down and pick up the golf balls on the bottom. When his bag got full, he would empty the bag on the bank of the lake and then dive down for more. While he was underwater, Papa Joe, wearing a lavalava and a black mask like the Lone Ranger used to wear, appeared and stole all of the golf balls. This went on and on until Mike got fed up and decided to do something about the guy who was stealing his golf balls. Lying a line of golf balls leading into the water, Mike lured Papa Joe into the lake, where suddenly a black shark fin appeared. The shark chased Papa Joe around the lake until he was able to get out, dropping all of his golf balls and running away. As the movie ends, we see Mike surfacing holding a plywood shark's fin and laughing. Speaking about sharks, Mike used to tell us a story about the day he and his brother and their friend Bernie went spear fishing at Olowalu. Mike was swimming ahead of them and had just cleared the reef when something big bumped into him. It turned out to be a huge tiger shark that was right next to him. Bernie and his brother were yelling shark, shark so what does Mike do? He kicked the shark so hard that it swam away. I also remember one time Mike and Paul Dean took me night diving in Honokowai, and an experience I will never forget or do again. I had speared a fish with my Hawaiian Sling, which I was shining my underwater flashlight on the fish, when a huge moray eel swam over my shoulder and bit off the fish in one bite. I will always remember Mike and what a wonderful husband, father and friend he was.

I don't think I have a first memory of Uncle Mike because he was always Uncle Mike. I will always remember the Ward camp outs we had when he was our Bishop. Crabbing on the beach and eating the fresh fish he brought in from fishing that night will always be a memory I cherish. When I think back I can hear his voice and see his smile.