A Monday Memory - My Hilo Ohana
While searching on the web one fine day, an article caught my eye and made me look twice. It was about my family on the Big Island. Lo and behold! There was my brother’s, my hanai Dad, my uncles and cousins. And it brought back tons of memories about the days of growing up in Hilo. This article was put out by the Hilo Electic Light Company or as we all called it HELCO. Most of my uncles, my brother Bo and my hanai Dad worked there. And later when my cousins got old enough to work, they too joined the company. Only my brother Boy didn’t work there. He worked for the Airlines. They all started as linemen when they first worked for the company. When Dad retired he was the #2 man in the company as a supervisor. My Uncle Moke retired #4 on the totem pole when he retired years later right before he passed away. My Uncle Willie made supervisor too.
My Uncle Moke, Uncle Willie and Uncle Ainahau. Uncle Aina died at a really young age. We were all in elementary school when got electricuted on the job.
The very top photo is from clockwise starting at 12:00 Boy, Dad, Bo and Billy. The article is wrong on the names. This picture was when they were younger and Billy was still alive. He died in May 2000. I never told you, but they played at the Seattle World’s Fair when I was in my teens. The second photo is Bo and Daddy when Bo turned 60.
The next photo is when Dad and my Uncles were really young and played softball. Helco had alot of activities for the employees. They even had a bowling league that we went to every week. I was still in school when that was going on. On the top row is Dad, Uncle Jimmy, Uncle Bonick(his nickname), and my Uncle JJ is second from the ride side. Sitting is my Uncle Willie, second from the left.
Next the photo on the left is my Uncle Moke, and I can’t make out who is in the picture with him. My Uncle Moke passed away in the 90’s. Charley and I went to Hilo for the services cause we had already moved from Hilo the later part of ‘87. The photo on the right Is my cousin Boy(nickname), my Uncle Jr. and my cousin Bruizy(nickname). That detail is also wrong, cause Jr. was our Uncle and not a cousin.
I went online to search for some recordings that my brother’s made cause I was getting these really strong vibes. And it bothered me a bit cause the feeling wouldn’t go away. And everytime I got these feelings in the past about my brother Bo, something always turned out bad. A few times when that happened my brother had gotten hurt on the job. The last incident was the worst. He was driving the Helco truck going downhill, when the trailer with the cable wire jack-knifed and the truck flipped over to it’s side. My brother’s two feet got pinned under the truck and he was hurt pretty bad. I got a call from the hospital saying that he was hurt. He had to have several grafts done thoughout the years, and had to wear special shoes. And later they had to amputate several of his toes on both feet. But being the happy go lucky guy that he is, he never got depressed. His disposition remained the same, he went back to work but as a watchman at the main plant with lighter duties, but at the same pay as a lineman. Which was great for him. I remember going to the company yard and taking him lunch every now and then. He used to love that, cause we’d just sit and chat for awhile. Sometimes one of my friends would go with me. Next to my father and husband, he was my other hero. And I guess he still is.
I called him the other day, and my sister-in-law answered the phone and she was so happy. She said it must have been mental telepathy cause they had been talking about Charley and me, and wondering how the kids and I were doing. It kind of relieved me a bit, cause I knew why I was feeling the way I did. She and I talked for awhile and I asked her how my brother was and she told me some things that were going on with him, then she said I’ll let him tell you how he is himself. So he came on the phone and told me that he was okay, and told me he had gone through some surgery for prostate cancer, but that he was okay. And then he told me how Daddy and my brother Boy was, and my sister Honeygirl. And that our stepmom was in a care home cause she had Alzhiemers. It was so nice hearing their voices and we told eachother how much we missed and loved eachother. And he wants me to go home to see them, and that they were planning a last Christmas Concert cause Dad was getting up in years, in his late 80’s a couple years shy of 90. So I told him to let me know for sure about the concert and I would do my best to go for that. And he asked me about his Godson, my son Kaos and the rest of the kids. So I have another goal in my life, and that is to see my family in Hilo while we are still on this earth.
