‘The Lives We Lost’ Tells A Different Story About The People Who Died In Lahaina
Most of the stories about the people who perished in the Aug. 8 fire have focused on the circumstances of their death. We want to write about their lives.
A 14-year-old on the last day of summer break before starting his junior year at Lahainaluna High School. A 72-year-old grandmother from California on a long-planned solo vacation. A 68-year-old Lahaina man trying to save a friend’s beloved dog.
Authorities have confirmed 101 fatalities from the Aug. 8 fire in Lahaina. The stories of how — and why — these people died are important. But so are the stories of who they were, the lives they lived, and what they meant to a community that is now scattered and in mourning.
If you lost a friend or family member and would like to share photos or stories with us please email memorial@civilbeat.org
Antonia ‘Toni’ Molina died in the Lahaina fires. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)Antonia Molina, better known as Toni, worked at the Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar and lived in the Kuhua Camp neighborhood in central Lahaina.
As a teenager, she had been the first female president of the Future Farmers of America in Hawaii and was a “trailblazer for other women in FFA and business.”
Family members told the Star Advertiser that she was a devoted churchgoer.
“She was very quiet, a very stern kind of person where she needs to get it done,” her cousin told the newspaper.
If you are a family member or friend of Antonia Molina and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Franklin “Frankie” Trejos, 68, died in the Aug. 8 fire. His remains were found with the remains of his roommate’s dog, seen here with Trejos. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)Franklin Trejos, a longtime Lahaina resident, was described as “the friendliest guy you would ever meet.”
Originally from Costa Rica, Trejos is remembered for having a large number of friends on the island. He died while trying to protect a friend’s beloved dog from the Aug. 8 blaze.
If you are a family member or friend of Franklin Trejos and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Terri Thomas, 62, was a victim of the Lahaina wildfires.Terri Thomas was originally from Texas, but had lived in Lahaina for three decades, according to a statement released by her family.
“She was outgoing, funny, and always willing to extend help to others in need,” her niece wrote.
If you are a family member or friend of Terri Thomas and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Robert and BetteJo Dyckman died in the Lahaina fires. (Screenshot/Everloved.com)Robert “Pat” Dyckman was born in Montana, but made his way to Maui on a sailboat with his brother in the 1970s, according to an obituary published in the Maui News.
A former US Army Sergeant, Dyckman built a home in central Lahaina with his wife and raised five children there.
“He was a dedicated and much-loved father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Pat was a man of profound kindness, strength and integrity,” the obituary states.
If you are a family member or friend of Robert Dyckman and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Melva Benjamin died in the Lahaina fire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)Lahaina resident Melva Benjamin grew up on Molokai, where her father worked at a now-shuttered resort.
One of nine siblings, her nickname in high school was “Honeygirl,” a moniker that followed her to Maui, where she last worked as a clerk at Hawaiian Telcom. Her longtime partner Edward Sato, also died in the Aug. 8 fire.
If you are a family member or friend of Melva Benjamin and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Virginia Dofa, a resident of Hala Mahaolu Eono, died in the wildfire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)Virginia “Virgie” Dofa was a beloved grandmother who is remembered in online posts as a woman of strong faith.
Her family’s roots in Lahaina date back nearly a century, when her parents immigrated to Maui from the Philippines. She was a resident of Hale Mahaolu Eono, a senior housing complex that was completely destroyed in the Aug. 8 fires.
If you are a family member or friend of Virginia Dofa and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
A photo of Alfred Galinato posted on Facebook in 2016. Galinato died in the Lahaina fire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)Alfredo Galinato worked hard for his family.
The father of three worked a variety of jobs, from picking pineapples to working at hotels, according to a KITV report. He also built the Lahaina home where he raised his family.
Galinato would always lend a hand to neighbors and do anything to help his family, his children said. But he also had a lighter side.
“His personality is just straight funny,” his son, Joshua, told KITV. “I mean he just makes us smile every day with his jokes.”
If you are a family member or friend of Alfredo Galinato and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Clyde Wakida, 58, perished in the Aug. 8 fire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)Clyde Wakida was born and raised in Lahaina and graduated from Lahainaluna High School in 1967.
His wife of 46 years, a retired educator, is raising funds for a scholarship to honor his memory.
If you are a family member or friend of Clyde Wakida and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Everyone knew Freeman Tam Lung as the friendly kupuna in apartment No. 3 on the ground floor. (Courtesy of Aaron Kamaunu/2022)Freeman Tam Lung lived at the Lahaina Crossroads Apartments, where he was known among neighbors for his laugh and his smile.
Tam Lung grew up in Lahaina and as a young man worked for Pioneer Mill Co. Later in his life, he worked for the Kaanapali Golf Course until he retired, said friend Aaron Kamaunu.
Friends and neighbors at the Lahaina Crossroads Apartments say Tam Lung spent the last decade of his life at the complex, growing close with fellow tenants. He spent the last year advocating to save their home from an investor.
He would tell his friends stories about growing up in Lahaina and the businesses that once called the town home before it transformed into one of Hawaii’s top tourist destinations. — Marina Starleaf Riker
If you are a family member or friend of Freeman Tam Lung and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Theresa Cook, 72, was a California woman vacationing in Lahaina. She died in the 2023 wildfire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)California native Theresa Cook was a mother of two and grandmother of four. She was on the last day of what her family described as a healing solo vacation to Maui when the fires broke out in Lahaina.
“My mom was someone who would put others’ needs ahead of her own, even a complete stranger,” her son Adam Cook told a Sacramento television station. “She had a heart of gold and will be deeply missed by many.”
If you are a family member or friend of Theresa Cook and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Tony Simpson was an EMT in Lahaina. He died in the Aug. 8 blaze. (Screenshot/FacebookAnthony “Tony” Simpson didn’t grow up planning to go into medicine.
The 43-year-old EMT was working at a coffee shop on Front Street a decade ago, when he got into a bad accident and had to be airlifted to the hospital.
“He broke his neck, and the EMTs were so amazing and helpful and calm,” his sister, Nichol Simpson said. “And it made such an impression on him that he decided to become an EMT as soon as he could walk again.”
Nichol Simpson said her brother had a sense of adventure and plenty of wild stories. But he was also kind, generous, and was often focused on the well-being of others.
“He was never too shy to say an inappropriate joke or make light of a serious situation,” his friend and former roommate Josh Charles posted on Facebook. “He had a fun quirky sense of humor that was one of a kind. He was the guy you wanted by your side on adventures and was always there when you needed him.”
If you are a family member or friend of Tony Simpson and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Keyiro Fuentes was a few days shy of his 15th birthday when he died in the Lahaina fires. (Screenshot/GoFundMe/2023)Keyiro Fuentes was an incoming junior at Lahainaluna High School. The Lahaina resident was just weeks shy of his 15th birthday.
If you are a family member or friend of Keyiro Fuentes and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Tau Ponali, known better in Lahaina as “Auntie Tala” died in the Aug. 8 fire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)Tau Ponali, better known as “Minister Tala” was a well-known figure in Lahaina, where she could frequently be found sitting under the banyan tree with a bible in hand, offering to pray with passersby.
“Mizpah was always the last thing she said when departing,” her son, Jedidiah Stevens wrote on a GoFundMe page, a word that he said translated to “May God keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other.”
“Mizpah,” he added. “It’s hard to conceive the loss our world has taken.”
If you are a family member or friend of Tau Ponali and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Valerie Kauffman died in the Lahaina fire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)Lahaina resident Valerie Kauffman graduated high school in 1962 in Pennsylvania and lived in Washington, D.C. and Oregon before making her way to Maui in the 1980s, according to friends on Facebook.
“Valerie Kauffman was smart, vivacious, a free spirit, and loved living in Maui,” wrote one high school classmate.
If you are a family member or friend of Valerie Kauffman and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Albert Kitaguchi, shown in a vintage photo, died the Lahaina fire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)Albert Kitaguchi was born and raised on Maui, where his parents had immigrated from Japan in 1953. He lived with his mother and sister in their family home in Lahaina, which was destroyed in the Aug. 8 fire.
Kitaguchi was a “kind man who had so much love for his family and friends,” his family wrote in a post on GoFundMe. “He loved drag racing, working on his cars, and gardening in our backyard. He always did everything in his power to support and honor his family and their legacy.”
If you are a family member or friend of Albert Kitaguchi and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Lynn Manibog, 74, was a grandmother who worked as a substitute teacher after retiring from the Royal Lahaina Resort. She died in the Lahaina fire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)Lynn Manibog — a mother of two, grandmother of five and soon to be great-grandmother of two — was not one to slow down. The Lahaina resident worked at the Royal Lahaina Resort for 35 years, and then spent a decade of her retirement working as a substitute teacher in Maui schools, her family said in a GoFundMe post. “You could feel her love and care for you by just talking stories with her,” wrote Ellen Santos, who organized the fundraiser for Manibog’s daughter and son-in-law, who also lost their home in the fire.
If you are a family member or friend of Lynn Manibog and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Todd Nakamura, 61, died in the Lahaina fire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)If you are a family member or friend of Todd Nakamura and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Bernard Portabes, 75, died in the Lahaina fire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)If you are a family member or friend of Bernard Portabes and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
An older photo of Bette Jo Dyckman, who died in the Lahaina fire with her husband. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)Bette Jo Dyckman, a Lahaina resident and mother of five, was born in Iowa and moved to Hawaii in 1974.
“Joey was a much-loved mother and a devoted tutu with a nurturing spirit and boundless love that radiated in everything she did,” according to an obituary published in The Maui News.
If you are a family member or friend of Bette Jo Dyckman and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Rebecca Rans, better known as Becky, died in the Lahaina fire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)Rebecca Rans loved the ocean.
Born in an inland area of Southern California, Rans moved to Lahaina in her early 30s, drawn by the natural beauty of Maui.
According to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by her family, Rans, “loved swimming with dolphins and stingrays and would often tell stories of when she was scuba diving and witnessed a beautiful school of stingrays swimming above her.”
She painted scenes of nature around Maui and had worked in a variety of tourism-related jobs over the last two decades. She lived with her longtime partner Doug Gloege, who also died in the fire.
If you are a family member or friend of Rebecca Rans and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Kirk Carter died in the hospital from burns sustained in the Lahaina fires. (Screenshot/GoFundMe/2023)Fun-loving. Loyal. Never one to turn down an adventure.
That’s how friends in social media posts say they want to remember Lahaina resident Kirk Carter, who died in the hospital from injuries sustained in the Aug. 8 fire.
Carter grew up in Indiana but moved to Maui in the 1990s, friends told an Indianapolis television station.
The 44-year-old was a longtime employee of Atlantis Submarines Maui, a Lahaina-based underwater tour company.
To celebrate his life, friends plan to gather at his family home in Indiana in September before heading to a Ween concert.
“We all know Kirk would never want a traditional type of funeral for himself,” Somer Gilbert wrote on a GoFundMe page originally organized to help Carter pay for hospital bills after he was taken to intensive care following the Lahaina fire. “We believe this is a righteous way to honor his memory.”
Friends running the GoFundMe page say they are now hoping to start a nonprofit to “bring live music back to Maui.”
If you are a family member or friend of Kirk Carter and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Donna Gomes died in the Lahaina fires. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)No one could ever boss Donna Gomes around.
The 71-year-old Lahaina matriarch was known for her big heart, her inner strength, and her stubborn and independent nature.
“She was a ‘bull’, and didn’t budge unless she wanted to,” Noelani Wong wrote on Facebook, “but for her Ohana, she would move mountains.”
If you are a family member or friend of Donna Gomes and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Angelita Vazquez, 88, died in the Lahaina fire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)Angelita Vasquez was the matriarch of a large Lahaina family.
A retired hospitality worker who loved traveling to Las Vegas and spending Sundays watching hula shows at the Lahaina Cannery Mall, Vasquez had six children, 10 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandson, according to an online obituary.
If you are a family member or friend of Angelita Vasquez and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Danilo Sagudang and his mother, Conchita Sagudang, died in the Lahaina fires. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)If you are a family member or friend of Conchita Sagudang and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Danilo Sagudang died in the Lahaina fires. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)Danilo Sagudang was born in the Philippines and graduated from Lahainaluna High School in 1985. He worked at the Ritz-Carlton Maui and is remembered online by friends and family as a kind man who cared deeply for the elders in his family. He died with his mother trying to escape the fire.
If you are a family member or friend of Danilo Sagundang and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Rodolfo Rocutan, also known as ” Papa Oppo” died in the Lahaina fires. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)If you are a family member or friend of Rodolfo Rocutan and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Jonathan Somaoang, 76, was a retired master woodcarver. He died in the Lahaina fire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)Jonathan Somaoang was a retired woodcarver, and longtime owner of an art gallery in Lahaina that closed down several years ago. He grew up in Lahaina and was a graduate of Lahainaluna High School.
If you are a family member or friend of Jonathan Somaoang and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Gwendolyn Puou died in the Aug. 8 fires. (Screenshot/Facebook)Lahaina resident Gwendolyn Kanani Puou was a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
“Kanani was an amazing, wonderful and caring mother who was strong natured and loved by many,” her daughter wrote in a GoFundMe post. “She will be greatly missed.”
If you are a family member or friend of Gwendolyn Kanani Puou and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Juan De Leon died in the Lahaina fire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)Juan de Leon loved his family.
If there’s one thing that can be gleaned from the 45-year-old Lahaina resident’s Facebook page, it’s that.
Originally from Mexico City, de Leon had made his home on Maui for more than a decade. He played music in a local church group and was a well-liked member of the island’s tight-knit Mexican community.
The few pictures he posted online were mostly of family gatherings, his wife and teenage daughter A post from 2011 gives voice to his love for them.
“I am very happy to have a marvelous wife and a beautiful daughter,” he wrote in Spanish. “My family is everything to me and to have the two of them is the greatest thing in my life.”
If you are a family member or friend of Juan de Leon and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Roxanne Ibara-Hinau died in the Aug. 8 Lahaina fires. (Screenshot/Facebook)If you are a family member or friend of Roxanne Ibarra-Hinau and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Rogelio Mabalot died in the Lahaina fires. (Screenshot/GoFundMe/2023)If you are a family member or friend of Rogelio Mabalot and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Pablo “Ceding” Pagdilao, was partially paralyzed and insisted that his wife leave him so that she could escape the Lahaina fire, according to a GoFundMe for the family. (Screenshot/GoFundMe/2023)If you are a family member or friend of Pablo Pagdilao and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Coleen Jones died in the Aug. 8 fires. (Screenshot/Facebook)If you are a family member or friend of Coleen Jones and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Po‘omaikai Estores-Losano died in the Lahaina fire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)Po‘omaikai Estores-Losano was a 28-year-old father of two who could “impact your life with just his smile,” his sister wrote on Facebook.
The Lahaina resident’s last two posts on Facebook — written in the two days before the Aug. 8 fire that claimed his life — were both reminders to embrace life and take care of one another.
“Aloha ohana have a blessed day, make sure to call and have the best time in the world with as much family, and if you see me don’t forget to throw shaka or say aloha,” he wrote on Aug. 6.
He leaves behind two sons and a large extended family.
If you are a family member or friend of Po‘omaikai Estores-Losano and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Carolyn Ono, 73, died in the Lahaina fire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)If you are a family member or friend of Carolyn Ono and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Eugene Recolizado, 50, died in the Lahaina fire. (Screenshot/Facebook)If you are a family member or friend of Eugene Recolizado and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Mark Kaminsky of Lahaina died in the 2023 fire. (Screenshot/Facebook.)Lahaina resident Mark Kaminsky was born in Pennsylvania and spent much of his adult life in Virginia, before moving to Maui.
He was an avid motorcyclist and worked at an auto repair shop.
If you are a family member or friend of Mark Kaminsky and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Joseph Lara, 86, was known as being a little kolohe or mischievous. The longtime Lahaina resident died in the Aug. 8 2023 fires. (Screenshot/Facebook) If you are a family member or friend of Joseph Lara and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Salvador Coloma died in the Maui fires in 2023. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)Salvador Coloma lived in the Kuhua Camp neighborhood of central Lahaina with his wife and extended family. Eight of his relatives also died in the fire.
If you are a family member or friend of Salvador Coloma and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Lahaina resident Nicholas Turbin II died in the Aug. 8 fire. (Screenshot/Facebook)Lahaina resident Nicholas Turbin, better known as “Nick” grew up in Minnesota, but fell in love with Maui in 1979 at a black sand beach in Hana. He lived for decades in Maui, raising his family there. He worked at an activities booth on Front Street.
If you are a family member or friend of Nick Turbin and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Louise Abihai, 97, was a resident of Hale Mahaolu Eono. She died in the Aug. 8 fire. (Courtesy: Kailani Amine) If you are a family member or friend of Louise Abihai and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Leticia Constantino, was born in the Philippines and had lived in Lahaina for decades. She died in the Aug. 8 fire. (Screenshot/Facebook)Leticia Constantino, better known as “Letty” was a longtime Maui resident. She studied elementary education at the University of Northern Philippines, before moving to Hawaii and raising her family there. According to her Facebook page, she had worked at the Aston Kaanapali Shores resort since 1994.
If you are a family member or friend of Leticia Constantino and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Rafael Imperial, originally from the Philippines, was a longtime Lahaina resident. He died in the Aug. 8 fires. (Screenshot/Facebook)If you are a family member or friend of Rafael Imperial and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Joe Buddy Carter, 85, lived on Front Street and died in the Lahaina fires on Aug. 8. (Screenshot/Facebook)If you are a family member or friend of Buddy Carter and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Maurice Buen, 79, of Lahaina was formally identified as a victim of the Lahaina fire by MPD on Sept. 13.Maurice Buen, 79, was known as “Uncle Shadow”.
His daughter Kimberly Buen told The Independent newspaper in the UK on Aug. 12 that her father was a Korean War veteran who had trained as a sniper. She had last spoken to him on the Sunday before the Aug. 8 fire.
Speaking with the Associated Press, Kim Buen, a resident of Palmdale CA, said that her father was a retired sports fisherman who had limited vision and mobility who needed his friends to drive him to the pharmacy and help read his mail.
Friends held an 80th birthday party for Maurice in his absence, on Sept. 2.
If you are a family member or friend of Maurice Buen and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Marilou Dias, 60, of Lahaina was confirmed as as casualty of the wildfires of Aug. 8Marilou Dias, 60, lived in Lahaina. Her Facebook profile says that she attended the Hinunangan Agricultural and Vocational School, a high school in Southern Leyte, Philippines.
If you are a family member or friend of Marilou Dias and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
June Anbe, 78, was a resident of Hale Mahaolu Eono. (Screenshot/Facebook.com)June Anbe, 78, was from a large family with deep roots in Lahaina.
Anbe was one of seven siblings. Her mother, Fumie Kozawa Anne, was born in Puukolii, a sugar plantation village just outside Lahaina, in 1917.
Anbe was a resident of Hale Mahaolu Eono in Lahaina.
If you are a family member or friend of June Anbe and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Michael Ray Gordon died in the Aug. 8 fire. (Screenshot/Norman’s Mortuary)Michael Gordon was born in Los Angeles. He moved to Maui in the early 1990s, according to online records. He was a father and grandfather. He went by the nickname “Spam.”
If you are a family member or friend of Michael Gordon and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Revelina Tomboc, 80, was a victim of the Lahaina wildfires.If you are a family member or friend of Revelina Tombo and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Morris Kaita, 74, was a victim of the Maui wildfires. Shown here as a youth. If you are a family member or friend of Morris Kaita and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Linda Vaikeli, 69, was a victim of the Lahaina wildfires.If you are a family member or friend of Linda Vaikeli and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Rex Cole, 64, was a victim of the Lahaina wildfires.Rex Cole was a former construction worker who often talked about the many buildings in Lahaina that he had helped erect. Cole, who was homeless at the time of the fires, was described by a friend as a sweet man who loved surfing and being near the ocean.
If you are a family member or friend of Rex Cole and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Bibiana Acosta Tomboc Lutrania, 56, was a victim of the Lahaina wildfire.If you are a family member or friend of Bibiana Acosta Tomboc Lutrania and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Michael Morinho died in the Aug. 8 Lahaina fires. (Screenshot/Facebook)Michael Morinho, better known as “Mikey,” was born in Rhode Island and had been a resident of Lahaina for nearly three decades. He worked gardening and cleaning condos and shops on Front Street, according to a missing poster put together by his family after the fires.
Are you a friend or family member of Michael Morinho? If you’d like to share photos or stories to help us tell his story, please email memorial@civilbeat.org.
Eddy Castillo, 35, was confirmed as a victim of the Lahaina wildfire.If you are a family member or friend of Eddy Castillo and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Victoria, Eugene and Justin Recolizado were victims of the Lahaina wildfires.If you are a family member or friend of Victoria Recolizado and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Justin, (left) and his mother Victoria Recolizado were victims of the Lahaina wildfires. If you are a family member or friend of Justin Recolizado and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Matsu Osato, 82, was a victim of the Lahaina wildfires.If you are a family member or friend of Matsuyuki Osato and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Felimon Quijano was a victim of the Lahaina wildfires.If you are a family member or friend of Felimon Quijanoand would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Laurie Allen died in the hospital from burns sustained in the Lahaina fire. (Screenshot/Facebook)Laurie Allen was born into a life of travel.
The youngest daughter of an Air Force officer, Allen had moved around the country half a dozen times by the time she turned 12, when her family settled down in Boise, Idaho.
She moved to Lahaina in 2010 with her longtime partner, an artist and gallery owner from Boise. The couple married in 2022.
Allen loved the water, her husband told the New York Times, and could frequently be found snorkeling and kayaking. She worked as a patient services coordinator for a physical therapy clinic in Lahaina.
If you are a family member or friend of Laurie Allen and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Michael Mahnensmith was a sandal maker with a store on Front Street in Lahaiana. He was confirmed as a victim of the Aug. 8 wildfire.Michael Mahnensmith was a longtime Lahaina resident and owner of Island Sandals on Front Streel.
If you are a family member or friend of Michael Mahnensmith and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Jeanne Eliason died in the Lahaina fires. (Screenshot/Facebook)If you are a family member or friend of Jeanne Eliason and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Luz Bernabe was one of nine members of the same family to die in the Lahaina fires. (Screenshot/Facebook) Luz Bernabe was one of the first of her family members to arrive on the Valley Isle from Sinait, a city in the province of Ilocos Sur in the north of the Philippines, said Eric Arquero, a pastor at Koinonia Pentecostal Church.
He didn’t know exactly when she arrived, but by the time his family immigrated to Maui in 1987, she was already there.
“I just remember her being here since I was a child,” he said.
Bernabe worked at Nagasako General Store in Old Lahaina Center on Wainee Street, said Mila Lat. Bernabe had petitioned many of her family members to come to Hawaii.
“She’s a very jolly person,” Lat said. “She always had something to tell you, and friendly. She knows a lot of people. She’s telling you this and that, this and that. So I just listened to her.”
If you are a family member or friend of Luz Bernabe and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Angelica Baclig died in the Aug. 8 fires. (Screenshot/Facebook)Angelica Baclig was born in the Philippines and moved to Lahaina with her family as a child. She was an alumna of Lahainaluna High School and lived with her family in a home they had purchased a few years prior, within walking distance of Front Street. She was one of nine family members who died in the Aug. 8 fires.
If you are a family member or friend of Angelica Baclig and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Leslie Smith, 80, was a Lahaina resident. (Screenshot/Facebook)If you are a family member or friend of Leslie Smith and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Narciso Baylosis and his wife died in the 2023 fire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)If you are a family member or friend of Narciso Baylosis and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Vanessa Baylosis died in the 2023 Lahaina fire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)If you are a family member or friend of Vanessa Baylosis and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Leroy Wagner died in the Lahaina fire in 2023. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)Leroy Wagner was remembered by friends as a “sweet man.” He lived in Lahaina in a multigenerational home with five family members, according to news reports.
If you are a family member or friend of Leroy Wagner and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Douglas Gloege died in the Lahaina fires. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)If you are a family member or friend of Douglas Gloege and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Carole Hartley, a longtime Maui resident who died in the Lahaina fire, was remembered as a free spirit who lived life “out loud.” (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)If you are a family member or friend of Carole Hartley and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Tony Takafua, 7, was the first child that Maui Police Department identified among Lahaina’s fire victims. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)If you are a family member or friend of Tony Takafua and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Lahaina resident Salote Takafua, 39, died in the Aug. 8 fire. (Screenshot/Facebook/2023)If you are a family member or friend of Salote Takafua and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Lahaina resident Malui Fonua Tone, 73, died in the Aug. 8 fire. (Facebook/Screenshot/2023)If you are a family member or friend of Malui Fonua Tone and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize him, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Lahaina resident Faaoso Tone, 70, died in the Aug. 8 fire. (Photo credit: Loteleka Tone on Facebook)If you are a family member or friend of Faaoso Tone and would like to share photos or stories to help us memorialize her, please email memorial@civilbeat.org or call Civil Beat editor Jessica Terrell at 808-650-4447.
Most of the stories about the people who perished in the Aug. 8 fire have focused on the circumstances of their death. We want to write about their lives.
David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023