Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 9, 1 September 2010 — Lānaʻiʻs Pearl [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Lānaʻiʻs Pearl

Pearl Ah Ho Jan. 8, 1948 - July 12, 2010 n a memorial service "fit for queen," Pearl Ah Ho was remembered by hundreds of family, friends and eolleagues on July 31 in a celebration of her life at Lāna'i Conununity Center. Ah Ho served as OHA's Community Outreach Coordinator on Lāna'i for the past four years, working part-time in the Lāna'i City, where she also worked part-time for Maui County. "We shared laughter in work and in fellowship and encouragement in faith," said Kaliko Santos, who works in OHA's Kaua'i Connnunity Resource Center. "I will cherish the memory of her smiling face." Irene Ka'ahanui, who worked with Ah Ho from OHA's Connnunity Resource Center on Moloka'i, said "Pearlie" was a "great lady" and a "classy type of person who would do for others and never expect anything in return." Ka'ahanui recalls onee being home on sick leave for two-and-a-half months and receiving phone calls from Ah Ho, who wanted to teach her about new work forms so she would be up to date when she returned. "She had a lot of pahenee. Pearl always gave from her heart and was always

smiling. She always kept herself available for people. I witnessed that on Lāna'i during her funeral. I have never seen so many people and tlower wreaths. She was truly loved. ... A eomment was made by one of the youths at the service, who said, 'Jesus took aunty Pearlie to li^ln liim

the Hawaiian angels.' " In a letter of sympathy to the Ah Lo family, OHA Chief Operating Officer Stanton Enomoto wrote that Pearl's "service to her conununity will always serve as a reminder of how life should be lived." "Pearl had a great understanding of OHA's new strategic plan, and looked forward to implementing OHA's new mission and direction. She knew that this new direction was what her connnunity needed and agreed with this new vision that 'the well-being of our connnunity rested upon the inter-relationship of how we conduct ourselves, how we steward the islands we eall home, and how we fulfill the responsibility of caring for our families.' One of her lasts words to some co-workers were - 'Continue the work, take care of our people, and make it a better plaee for all.' " ■

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