Obituaries for May 17, 2015

Obituaries for May 17, 2015

Adam Ronald Brun Jr.

Adam Ronald Brun Jr. of Kalaheo, Kauai passed away on May 6, 2015, at the age of 51. Born on January 25, 1964, in Lihue, Kauai, he was a firefighter stationed at the Lihue Airport Crash Fire Department. He became an avid cowboy starting with 4-H events on Oahu. He was a skilled farrier who felt it a calling to correctly balance shoes on each horse. He taught his farrier and rodeo skills to anyone who was willing to learn. His famous words “pay attention” will be remembered by those he taught.

He was preceded in death by his father, Adam Ronald Brun Sr.

He is survived by his children Alana (Darren) Agustin, Waylon Brun, Kierra Bukoski, granddaughters Aaliyah and Dakota Agustin, mother Glenda Vierra, siblings Robert (Lorna) Brun, Rhonda Brun, Stephanie (Bambridge) Aona, Leona Brun, Shana (Lance) Ling and Angela (JJ) Prigge, numerous uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, and nieces.

A celebration of Adam’s life will be held on Saturday, June 6, 2015, at St. Raphael Church, 3011 Hapa Road, Koloa. Visitation with family will be 8 to 10 a.m. with Mass to follow. Western attire is requested.

Adam’s brief story was featured on the front page of The Garden Island newspaper on Tuesday, March 10, 2015, “Cowboy Up” by reporter Darin Moriki.

Adam’s ohana sends their deepest thanks and love to our extended family, friends, co-workers at Lihue Crash Fire and Sheraton Kauai Resort, cowboys and other supporters who helped Adam in his pancreatic cancer treatments. Numerous fundraisers where held and the outpouring of support was generous and beyond what was anticipated. Thank you to all who prayed, which God gave Adam the incredible strength for the journey. To the many that spent time with Adam, your visits lifted his spirit, thank you for your compassion.

Margaret Parraga

Margaret Anna Koerte Parraga, of Kekaha, Kauai, Hawaii passed away on April 16, 2015, at the age of 87 in Waimea, Kauai, Hawaii. She was born on May 2, 1927, in Kapaia, Kauai. She was a sales representative and home maker.

Margaret is preceded in death by her parents, Otto and Angeline Koerte and son; Wayne S. Parraga, siblings, Irene Furtado, Otto “Sonny” Koerte, Stanley Koerte and Walter Koerte.

She is survived by her husband Louis Parraga Jr.; son, Franklin L. Parraga; daughter, Penny M.(Marvin) Parraga-Fujinaka; sisters, Violet (Noris) Bogan, and Grace (John) Schultz.

Margaret was known as “Oma” to her five grandchildren: Mallory (Brian) Rodriguez, Wayenette (Jeff) Parraga, Tina (Greg) Parraga-Alejandro, Wayne (Kai, Alicia) Parraga, Vannessa Parraga and seven great-grandchildren; Keegan Refamonte, Makana Rodriguez, Italee Rodriguez, Keleko Parraga, Keaka Parraga, Wayne C. Parraga and Wynsten Parraga. She also leaves behind numerous nieces and nephews, cousins and friends.

Friends may visit the family at Lihue Lutheran Church on Wednesday, May 27, 2015, with Visitation scheduled for 9 a.m., Service at 10 a.m. and burial to follow.

The family is being assisted by Borthwick Kauai Mortuary, Koloa, Kauai.

Jerome Storm

Jerome “Jerry” George Storm of Kapaa passed away at home on May 10, 2015, at the age of 71. He was born in San Diego, California on May 10, 1944, and was a retired Probation Department Supervisor with the San Diego County Probation Department.

Beloved husband, father, Papa, brother and friend, is survived by his wife, Susan Storm of Kapaa; daughter, Debora (Derek) Walker and son, Douglas (Jennifer) Storm both of San Diego, California; two grandchildren, Dylan and Danielle; brothers, William Storm of San Antonio, Texas and David Storm of San Diego, California.

Private family services will be held.

Kauai Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home assisted the Storm family with arrangements.

Bonnie Farah

Bonnie “The Sprout Lady” A. Farah of Wailua Homesteads, Kauai, Hawaii, passed away on May 1, 2015, at the age of 73 at Wilcox Memorial Hospital. She was born in Detroit, Michigan on May 4, 1941. She was known as the “Sprout Lady” at the Kauai farmers markets.

Bonnie is survived by her sons, Joseph Stone, Robby Stone; daughter, Dana Mitsui; seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life is scheduled for Sunday, May 31, 2015, at Haenea Beach Park from noon till pau.

The family is being assisted by Borthwick Kauai Mortuary Koloa, Kauai, Hawaii.

Lillian Ishida

Mrs. Lillian Ishida passed away on May 7, 2015, at a private care home. She was born in Koloa, Hawaii on Jan. 22, 2015, and was a retired medical office manager for Eleele Dispensary.

She is survived by her son, Warren Ishida; daughters, Ms. Sandra Fuller and Ms. Karen Mukai, as well as six grandchildren.

Services will be held on Saturday, May 23, 2015, beginning at 11 a.m. at St. Johns Episcopal Church in Eleele, Kauai.

The family is being assisted by Hosoi Garden Mortuary.

Marie B. Trott

Marie B. Trott of Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii passed away at 91 on May 4, 2015, at Wilcox Memorial Hospital. She was born in Hartford, Connecticut on May 31, 1923. She was a retired hairstylist and business owner.

Marie is preceded in death by her parents, Anthony and Carmela Mazzarella and her brother, Bartholomew Mazzarella.

Marie is survived by her sister, Patricia Kopesky of Lihue, Kauai; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

A celebration of Marie’s life is being held Wednesday, June 10, 2015, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Lihue. Visitation at 9:30 a.m. and Mass to be celebrated at 10 a.m.

Burial will take place at a later date at St. Joseph Cemetery, Winsted, Connecticut.

Arrangements by Borthwick Kauai Mortuary.

Katherine Peters

Katherine (Kathy) Peters, former head librarian at Kauai Community College, passed away on the Big Island on May 2, 2015. She was 93, and had suffered from Alzheimer’s for several years.

She served as KCC’s librarian from 1968 until her retirement in 1986. Katherine Shamlian, her maiden name, was one of four Armenian sisters whose family fled the Armenian massacres of WWI and came to the United States. Kathy eventually received a Masters Degree in Library Science from the University of Michigan.

While working as a librarian at a Detroit community college, on a lark teased into by her coworkers,Kathy answered a job listing in the UM Bulletin for a position at a community college on some island called Kauai that she was only vaguely aware of as part of the 50th state. KCC’s provost at the time, Dr. Walter Steiger, came to the mainland in the winter of 1968 to conduct interviews, almost all of them candidates from the West Coast. There were only two east of the Mississippi, one in Minnesota and a woman in Detroit.

Afterall the interviews, Walt Steiger was cold, tired, in Minnesota, and wanted to go back home to the islands. He called Kathy in Detroit and said if she wasn’t really serious about this faraway job in Hawaii, he was getting on a plane in Minneapolis right then. Kathy lied; of course she was serious. Steiger agreed to meet her only at the Detroit airport, so he could fly out immediately for Hawaii. The interview took place. When Steiger’s return flight stopped for a connection in San Francisco a few hours later, he called Kathy and offered her the job.

So began Kathy’s journey to Kauai and head librarian at KCC. At that time in 1968, KCC’s “campus” was the old trade school next to Kauai High School. The library was a shack on poles in the entry drive. It’s collection was maybe 200 volumes and a few magazines. Things changed, and by the mid 1970’s KCC’s new campus opened in Puhi on land donated by Grove Farm. Kathy was instrumental in the development and design of the Learning Resource Center (LRC), the new designation for library. She worked with architects to create a space that was not a typical sterile, silent place of study, but rather more like a big two-story student union, a comfortable and welcoming lounge that encouraged interaction and conversation (within limits) among students and faculty— all of this surrounded by an ever-expanding collection. She also had “quiet” study areas and alcoves on both levels integrated into the design.

Kathy fought hard for an increased LRC budget, and its collection grew to thousands of volumes and over a hundred periodicals. She was a leading proponent of something new that had arrived onto the information resource horizon: Computers. She led the way in putting the entire old card catalog into an online database, available at workstations, and also encouraged another new form of communication among her staff and the faculty: email.

Kathy spent a year in Wales on sabbatical studying the Open University concept: providing part-time undergraduate higher education and supported distance learning. She saw this process as a leading aspect of KCC’s mission, and indeed UH’s extended network of campuses.

Kathy had a deep affection for the island of Kauai, and its college. Many of Kathy’s KCC colleagues remained lifelong friends. Among them: Bob Tsuda, Andy Bushnell, Mark Summers, Mino Shimokawa, Richard Coller, Earl Nishiguchi, Guy Fujiuchi, Jeanne Bunyan, Bill Higa and Charles Roessler. And most especially, her longtime associate in the LRC’s administrative office, Isabel Adorable of Eleele.

Kathy is survived by many nieces and nephews, and her son Stephen, and two granddaughters, Daniele and Isabel.

(Special thanks to KCC’s head librarian, Robert Kajiwara in the preparation of this notice.)

Abraham ‘Braddah’ Kailikini Jr.

Abraham “Braddah” Kailikini Jr. of Hanapepe, passed away on May 12, 2015, at Wilcox, at the age of 64. Born on April 19, 1951, in Waimea, he was a machine operator and a jack of all trades.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Abraham Kailikini Sr. and Ermine Kailikini; and survived by his sons, Kevin Kailikini of Hanapepe, and Travis (Jessica Hoe) Kailikini of Hanapepe; daughter, Shelcie (Kevin) Fune of Hanapepe; seven grandchildren, Jordyn and Justin Fune, Bronson, Lili and Ha’aheo Kailikini, and Noah and Logan Kailikini; and sisters, Pamela (Ernest) Dow of Kekaha, Ruth Naumu of Lihue, and Cynthia Blair of Hanapepe.

A celebration of Abe’s life will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2015, at the Hanapepe Valley residence at 11 a.m.

Arrangements were handled by Garden Island Mortuary, Ltd.

Lorraine Efhan

Lorraine Efhan of Kapaa passed away at home on May 12, 2015, at the age of 74. She was born in Kilauea, Kauai on March 27, 1941 and worked in the tourist industry.

Preceded in death by her grandparents, Ciriaca and Teofilo Efhan.

She is survived by her daughter, Michelle Efhan; one granddaughter, Cherie Efhan, both of Kapaa; one brother, Larry (Mary) Ephan of Lawai; numerous uncles, aunties, nieces, nephews and cousins.

A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2015, at Lydgate Beach Park main pavilion from 10 a.m. with potluck to follow. Family graciously declines flowers.

Kauai Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home assisted the Efhan family with arrangements.