WILFRED KELEPOLO Obituary

WILFRED PAHAKULA KELEPOLO Wilfred Pahakula Kelepolo died July 3 at the age of 83 at home in Waikiki. He would prefer I wait, well after he's make', to tell anyone including familyas he didn't want a fuss or funeral. Many of you will remember him servicing your car at McKinley Car Wash as he pumped your gas. He worked there for almost 50 years, with his brother Matt, and retired quietly, early, before reaching the 50 years mark because of undiagnosed anxiety that had started to express as anger. Before then he was known for his ready smile and charming banter. So charming that a visitor from Japan once gave him his watch in return for the gift of being entertained with Will's stories one evening. It's a beautiful watch that he always cherished for the memory of that night out. Willie Boy aka Willie the Hawaiian was born and raised in Honaunau, on the big island, where he served as an altar boy at the painted church for about 8 years. He was one of 17 children, 8 boys and 9 girls. While walking to school he could see and smell the morning glory growing out of the lava rock, until the school fell apart during an earthquake and everyone had to be bused to another school. At the time of his passing he had 2 younger sisters still alive, Hilda and Hazel who are now both on the mainland. One of 17 children. That's a lot of deaths to mourn over a lifetime when it is just the tip of the iceberg of loss. Before going to work at McKinley Car Wash he worked his way up from busboy to waiter to head waiter at the Kona Inn. He moved to Honolulu to learn more about "the haole way of living". Then he realized waitering was a dead end job and he should find one with a future. So he did. McKinley Car Wash allowed him to work outside and interact with you, his smiling customers. He was happy. Early on he had two formative relationships with women who were embarrassed by his job, but he continued to love it and his appreciative customers. Will knew he had no need for hilahila and took pride in his work. He'd press his pants and shirt and be eager for each new day. So this is less an occasion to mourn Will's passing and more an opportunity to say thank you, for him, to all his customers; McKinley Car Wash and the service people he relied on at Straub and Don Quijote who knew him as the man who called his wife his "Earth angel" and the kanaka maoli who preferred to bag his own groceries. And all the people he had such great aloha foryour aloha got him through rough times. Will wasn't always easy to be around. His hearing was going by the time he retired so he would control conversations and talk over others either because he didn't hear or wasn't sure he could participate. One sided conversations aren't much fun and he wouldn't say he couldn't hear you or get a hearing aid. (He told his doctor that he didn't need one until he could no longer hear me. Go figure.) One sided as those conversations might have been he always had good things to say and would leave you smiling. He loved running into old customers on the street or doctors offices to talk story. I remember the local woman clerking at the State ID office who said, when he greeted her with "hello girlie", "I haven't heard 'girlie' in a long time" and before we left she turned to me and said "what a lovely man". It was neither the first nor the last time I heard that. When he told me he was thinking about retiring I told him that if that's what it would take to get him back singing around the apartment again then go for it. I used the same argument as well when holding him to his word, to get himself off the alcohol he used to self medicate, and onto prescription medication for the anxiety. It wasn't easy but it worked and it was so good to see my lovely man again. And he was, a lovely generous man with a beautiful soul; a gentle spirit; and the loving, kind heart, of a child. He will be missed. He told me multiple times that he's seen and done all he wanted to and so could die happy at any time. I believe him because I sometimes heard him singing or laughing in his sleep. It wasn't always that way. I understand anxiety isn't uncommon at our age but I think all those deaths had something to do with it toothe idea of being alone when you're not used to it. Except for me he had run out of people who could or would take him in, if anything was to happen to me. Thankfully that didn't happen. Truth be told he may have feared that he'd burned bridges and no one would show up for a funeral. Such fears, of his, broke my heart. The medicine didn't take all the anxiety away but he was singing and laughing until he died. Death he did not fear, both because he'd experienced it himself twice when younger, and because he'd seen the spirit of his sister, and later his father, leave their bodies when they passed. Willie Boy donated his body to the UH school of medicine. He is survived by the hanai son he gave his name to, David, his son Alexander, his daughter Kimberly, their children, and me his wife. Mahalo nui Hug someone you love If you know someone who may be suffering emotionally, please make a donation to an agency that might offer help. And if you are struggling please talk with your doctor. Tell them Willie the Hawaiian sent you. Aloha kakou Mass will be said for Will on July 27, 2014 in two places: 1) on the Big Island in Honaunau at the painted churchSt. Benedict's at the 4:00 p.m. mass and 2) at 5:00 p.m. in Waikiki at St. Augustine on Ohua St.