Lorrin Ching Memorial at Keauhou Bay, Oct 17, 2015

Our beloved site manager at Villas at Keauhou, Lorrin Ching, just shy of 71 years old, passed a couple weeks ago participating in a canoe race.  His friends and family told the same story of how he always said he would probably die of a heart attack in a canoe.  Not only did he get his wish, he was also in a race, and was catching a wave.  The autopsy showed he had a "big heart", which everyone agreed was true.

https://youtu.be/EIwkaXvACzQ

Here is a photo I took on Friday before his last race while I was having fun with him showing him the wonders of the iPhone 6s and the "live photo" feature.  It may be the last photo of him.

Below are photos from the day of celebration.  It started out with assignments for canoes by Bill Armer, then an introduction by a long time friend, reminiscences from his children and grandchildren, and from the guests.  Close to 300 people were in attendance, most of whom stayed for the day.  Bill Armer said that this was the largest showing of canoes on the water for such a ceremony that he had ever seen.  Traditionally the canoes paddle out, the family in the lead, making a few circles and spreading fresh flowers in the water.  A puli is said, Aloha Oe is sung, a pu is sounded.  After the ashes are spread in the water, people are invited to swim with Lorrin together, which many people did today.  All of the paddlers in one canoe jumped out and it hulied.  On the way back to the bay, some big swells came up.

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The day before several turkeys were cooked in an imu and a feast was served for the guests with pot luck salads, fruit, and desserts to go with the pork and cabbage, turkey, ham, yams and sweet potatoes, and macaroni salad.  Lorrin liked beer and mayonnaise which was also abundant.  

David was busy all day yesterday gathering monstera and other greens and helping set up tents, decorate, and rig canoes.  He was there to help launch our canoes and bring them in after the ceremony on the water.  

I came with Bill and Gabriella and Bud.  I took a chance and hitched a ride on the sailing canoe of Kalani's which sails out of Keauhou Bay.  I was able to take photos and quietly cried for this very special man.

David telling his story about Lorrin.

Pano of the lawn

On the sailing canoe

Following the paddlers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V_r7Vcoq28  This is a link to the Youtube video I took of singing Aloha Oe on the water.

They are righting the canoe after it hulied.

Bill on the right is conducting the ceremony

Lorrin's favorite beverage.  There were also 3 kegs of beer.

Getting out the desserts.

Lorrin's 3 man which he asked that a board be made over the top and make it a portable bar.  One of the men accepted the challenge.  It was beautifully decorated.  There were several tables with photos and awards and mementoes and a computer slide show of photos people emailed to Alexis, his daughter, one of his 6 children.

I helped by serving the ham.

David told how Lorrin told us the story of his sufing in Oahu and always wanting to stay at the Moana Surfrider Hotel.  Recently he was on Oahu and decided to fulfill that dream.  He managed to sweet talk the wahine to upgrade his room to an ocean view balcony and he thoroughly enjoyed every moment of his stay.  He once told me that he used to go to the Jacaranda Inn in Waimea for breakfast with the kids but thought the restaurant was closed.  He still wanted to go there again and said he would soon.  

As the Manager of our condos, he was here every morning at 7:00am where he cleaned the pool, supervised Joe and the landscape crew, and took care of all the little jobs around the complex to keep it up.  We recently had our driveways resealed.  There were some break-ins in the neighborhood and he pepped up his surveillance of the property.  When a storm is predicted, he came around to everyone to see if they needed help putting in the lanai furniture and secured homes who were not in residence.  If you saw him in his cart on property, you could say hello and if you mentioned anything about paddling, you could spend 30 minutes or longer talking about anything and everything paddling.  He was really looking forward to this Molokai'i race this year and to paddle with Nappy Napoleon and his crew.

Here is the Keauhou Canoe Club newsletter summary of the service.

10.17. The memorial at sea for Lorrin Ching was an incredible moving and inspirationahappening at the Keauhou Halau.  About 500 people came together to grieve our loss, celebrate his life, and appreciate Lorrin’s influence on each of us.  There were at least 20 OC-6’s, 50 OC-1's and OC-2’s, surfboards, standup paddleboards, power boats, a sailing canoe and many observers on the shoreline at Surf and Racquet Club.  We fed over 400 people.  Many people made this event incredible and much appreciation goes to Terry Trinidad, Ricky Beaudet and the Hunting Club, Kalani Delovio and Mike Woodbury, Bill and Cindy Armer, Egon and Rena Horcajo, Nalani Merrill, Dennis Mihalka, Hana and Tiffany Cook, Maile Leslie, Rupert Adarme, the Ching siblings of Peter, Aaron, Alexis, Jessica, and Cassidy, daughter-in law Nicola, grandchildren Cyrus and ‘Ale’a, and a very large family and KCC Ohana.  Numerous donations of money and food reduced the family expenses for the memorial.  Everyone was moved and touched and we know you felt the energy wherever you were in this world.  The Canoe Club made a monetary donation from our Ohana fund to assist the family with the memorial celebration.  A legacy fund at Keauhou will continue to accept donations after the family establishes the concept on how to remember Lorrin in a more enduring, lasting way.  An annual canoe/running race, an unlimited canoe in his name, and a Fund for Keauhou women racers at Molokai are some of the ideas expressed to date.  You can forward any thoughts to Alexis and the family via the canoe club or directly to them at urnlexyland@yahoo.com.