RENO, Nevada — Due to the COVID-19 gathering restrictions, there will be no funeral service for Charles “Chuck” Edward Malley who passed away, July 18 in Reno, Nevada.
“In lieu of flowers or cards, we encourage anyone interested to make a tax deductible donation in Chuck’s name to Hale ‘Opio at http:://haleopio.org/donate/, a wonderful charitablle group that remained close to his heart all these years after he left the Garden Island,” said Justin Malley, Chuck’s son.
Justin announced that Chuck passed away “the same way he lived — doing the unexpected, which, in this particular case, means he went quietly and calmly,” leaving his wife Kalli, sister and brother Maryann and Richard, two children Tiffani, Justin and Tammy, five grandchildren — Keanu, Cullen, Logan, Katie, and Annie — scores of cousins and countless friends.”
Chuck was preceded in death by, and is now reunited with his mother, Janet deLone (1997), father Charles Malley Jr. (1953), and sister Joanna Malley (1999).
Following a tour of experiences and service spanning the world, Chuck, Kalli, and their two children moved to Kaua‘i where in the 18 years the family spent here, they grew the American Youth Soccer Organization from 100 kids to more than 2,000 in a few years.
“Perhaps ‘Chuckles’ greatest passion was his involvement in Rotary,” said Justin. “He served as president of local clubs three separate times in Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i, and Reno, Nevada.”
His involvement with the various groups resulted in helping to organize building bike parks, beach clean ups, countless fundraisers, including making malasadas at the Kaua‘i County Farm Bureau Fair, hiking trail clean ups, Second Chance programs and halfway houses, transitional housing for at-risk people — most notably women and children, and clean water projects in China.
Some of the projects he was proudest of were founding a Kaua‘i-Japan Student Exchange Program, leading clean up efforts by self-financing his employees’ efforts following two different hurricanes, serving on the board for Hale ‘Opio, and Secret Witness of Northern Nevada, the founding and running college scholarship funds, and raising significant funds through malasada sales, becoming the Malasada King of Kaua‘i in the process.
“His friends from every corner of the globe kept him engaged, grounded, and never lacking for a caring thought, kind word, or funny joke,” Justin said. “The volume of messages and kind words we have received from so many people whose lives he touched as been overwhelming. He’d probably say in response, ‘If I wasn’t already dead, you’d have killed me with kindness — and all the lies you’re telling about me.’”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
