HANAPEPE — What started out as a question in one lady’s mind has turned into an annual event involving members of the West Kauai Hongwanji and the ladies club (Fujinkai) of the Lihue Hongwanji. About three dozen volunteers of all
HANAPEPE — What started out as a question in one lady’s mind has turned into an annual event involving members of the West Kauai Hongwanji and the ladies club (Fujinkai) of the Lihue Hongwanji.
About three dozen volunteers of all ages descended on the Hanapepe Veterans Cemetery Wednesday afternoon armed with loads of flowers for their Lonesome Grave project where flowers are placed on otherwise undecorated graves in time for the annual Veterans Day services, today, Thursday, Nov. 11, at 11 a.m.
Takeshi Fujita, who appeared to be the leader of the Wednesday effort, said the idea came from Barbara Funamura, who was also at the cemetery with her 3-year-old granddaughter Justice.
“We were visiting graves of relatives here, and I wondered how come some of the graves are undecorated,” she said. That was about three or four years ago, and the seeds of the Lonesome Grave project were sown.
“I brought it up to some of the people at church, and we thought we could grow yellow marigolds that would resemble the gold stars that is symbolic of the Gold Star Mothers program,” Funamura explained.
Fujita said that initially, the marigolds were planted in pots and brought to the cemetery for placement. But the effort was too massive for just the women’s club, so he proposed that the church members also become involved.
That change yielded a lot more flowers, as the marigolds were not restricted to simply the pot variety. Fujita said the church members could plant them in their home gardens and “harvest” the blooming plants in time for the Veterans Day services.
As he spoke, no less than three pickups filled with the golden yellow blooms pulled into the cemetery, their backs laden with the aromatic blossoms.
Volunteers including members of the WK Hongwanji Jr. YBA (Young Buddhist Association) also turned out with their greens that they grow in their backyards, and Fujita arrived with a pickup filled with song of India, a varigated shrub with excellent keeping qualities.
Among the young people that dove into the task of distributing the arrangments was Marissa Uyehara, a member of the Waimea High School JROTC program.
“No forget visit your parents,” her elderly companion said as they arrived with more flowers.
Today, Uyehara, who normally plays one half of the two-bugle “Taps,” doesn’t know what role she will play at the Veterans Day service. “I may be playing ‘Taps,’ again, or I might be part of the saber unit,” the young lady said. “But, I will be here.”
Hilda Inouye was the first chairperson of the project, Funamura recollects as she and her granddaughter worked at a grave site.
From her car, a lady smiled as she watched the proceedings of people assembling graveyard arrangements, while others including Waimea High School students worked to complete arrangements to place on undecorated graves.
“This is really good,” she said. “I wonder if there are other (veteran) cemeteries where so many volunteers come out to make sure that no one gets forgotten. I came to pay my respects to several of our family, but this (volunteer effort) is really good.” As Fujita’s deft hands combined the various flowers and shrubbery, he noted some sprays of orchids among the collection of flowers. “These came from a lady who is in the hospital,” he said. “She called and said, ‘Go to my house, and pick whatever you need. I’m in the hospital, so I can’t use them.'”
Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@pulitzer.net.
