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______________________________________________________
A Tribute to Moe Keale
His
Family
`Ike
aku, `ike mai, kōkua aku kōkua mai; pela iho la ka nohona `ohana.
Recognize
others, be recognized, help others, be helped;
such is a family relationship.
Photo
by Dennis
Oda - Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Moe Keale, at home with his wife Carol and his only
son, Scott
Nālani Keale
Moe Keale is survived by his
wife Carol; son
Scott
Nālani Keale; sister Momi Mix; Ni`ihau
`Ohana; hānai
sisters Martha
Noyes, Loke Lyu and Ka`uhane
Lee; godson Kekoaokeko`olau Lyu; and nieces and nephews.
Moe
& Carol, from Jerry Pickard's interview,
jacklord.net: A Love Story
"It
is usually quite interesting to learn how couples
meet, and the Keale's story is no exception.
Carol
had come from the Mainland in 1969, to study
social sciences at the University of Hawai'i. A
natural athlete, she joined a canoe club where one
Sunday, a mutual friend suggested they take in a
Sunday afternoon jam session which the renowned
Sons of Hawaii would be attending. So they did.
Carol and Moe caught each other's eyes early on.
She recalls great awareness of the warmth and
energy emanating from this mammoth man (he was
over 450 pounds at the time), but could not see
herself in the long term, becoming emotionally
involved with anyone in the entertainment field.
Nonetheless, she kept showing up where the Sons
were performing, and the hugs and kisses showed no
signs of abating. After about a year or so,
however, she and her best girlfriend decided that
Master's degrees would be best pursued back in
California. She went to Moe and informed him she
was leaving. He said fine, but told her she'd be
back within a couple months. This floored Carol
she was adamant she had absolutely no intention of
returning. Yet, he was right; two months later the
Islands and more specifically the call of Keale,
found her in Honolulu once again.
Their dating
began in earnest then. Carol, during our talk,
said more than once that throughout their time
together, they grew more in love every single day.
They were truly blessed."
>>
Presentation
to Carol, Roy Sakuma's `Ukulele Festival, 2002
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Moe's only
son, Nālani, a kumu
hula, "whose focus is on traditional hula rather than
what most people see on television and at lū`au." Nālani
is the title holder of Mr. World Hula 1995 and 1996. His
hālau is called Hālau Kaulakahi Hawai`i. Of
Moe's numerous performing gigs, his last gigs with his son
were his most intimate and endearing.
"Moe would introduce
Nalani as a hālau," said entertainment booking agent
Chriss Heyd. "It was kind of a joke a one-man hālau."
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"The
younger Keale talked to his father the day before while he
was on a teaching mission in Japan. He was en route home,
aboard a flight, when Moe Keale died."
"He
just exuded a lot of spirit and Aloha; he was my dad but my
friend, my buddy, too. We cruised; we hanged out together."
"I
called him because I couldn't find a couple of chords to
'Pua Mae'ole,' a song I wanted to teach," Nalani Keale
said. "He taught me how; he told me to play it in this
particular chord. And I got it. It was awesome. It must've
been midnight in Hawai'i at the time. And it was the last
time I heard his voice."
Source: Honolulu
Advertiser, 4/17/02, Mike Gordon and Wayne Harada >>
Photo of Nālani
and Aloha Joe, 2000 >>
Photo of Moe, Nālani and Aloha Joe, 2000
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