Friday, October 03, 2008

Wendy Machado, aloha pau 'ole

I think blogs should be happy places for photos and adventures, but in this case I must pay tribute to a dear friend who just died. Wendy lived in our neighborhood with her husband Terry and their three kids until several years ago when they moved to be closer to the Kamehameha School campus in Kea'au. She was a wonderful model for many of my painting projects and was always cheerful and gracious. I don't feel that I ever did justice to her rare inner light and beauty. She had the great distinction in the Hawaiian community of being the guardian of the ancestral bones wherever they were disturbed by development in our area. She will be missed terribly.




7 comments:

Unknown said...

I was stunned to see this blog when I Googled Wendy's name. Thank you for this tribute to a woman who will be missed by many. Me ka aloha pumehana, a hui hou Wendy.

Anonymous said...

It's a tragedy and she will be greatly missed by every life that she touched.

Dee7 said...

I met Wendy 2 years ago in my hula class. She danced next to me at every practice. We just learned a new song and I was anxious to teach her likewise. What a beautiful person inside and out!! She kept me motivated. I'm still in shock and my na'au hurting. I'll miss you Wendy. . . and your cheerfulness and smile but most of all, I'll miss dancing next to you.

Aloha minamina,
na "D"

P.S. thanks for this wonderful tribute

Apiary Arts Hawai'i said...

Thank you Arthur.

Anonymous said...

I just found out about Wendy from my Mom who saw the obituary in the paper. Wendy was my x girlfriend from a long time ago. I would visit her at her grandmothers house (which I wound up living at for some time) We ate li chee together in her grandma's tree, visited her at the old Machado store which burned down years ago, we would play basketball; maybe some 8 years later after we had gone seperate ways I went to visit my parents on the Big Island for Christmas. A unknown car drove up in our driveway and I was with my wife at the time. It was an awkward moment of sorts when she came by just to say hello to my parents, and I happened to be home. How was I to explain that this tall beautiful girl was my ex as she was visiting my parents. She smiled and met my wife, and Wendy's eyes lit up when she said I have to meet her other half and her kids. We exchanged pleasantries and she headed on her way. It would be the last time I would see her.

She was indeed at that time and from the blogs I'm reading was to everyone else, one of the most wonderful, peaceful, precious gifts to life; she made everyone around her laugh. She saw things just a little bit different from everyone, and we all benefitted from her vision which was simple, true and hawaiian.

I have always hoped to bump into her when ever I went home. A woman with a wonderful spirit and precious laugh! Made you smile everytime. Her smile was infectious....my prayers to her family, her kids, her ohana....

b

Anonymous said...

I knew Wendy in elementary school, we both went to St. Ann's in Kaneohe. While it has been too many years to count that we have seen each other, it is easy to remember what a caring and thoughtful person she was, even at that young age. How sad that I didn't know her in her adult life...it seems that mine would have been blessed with her in it. Makilika

Anonymous said...

She was beautiful both in and out. I met and knew her a long time ago as she was one of the program leaders at a summer youth program I attended at UH Hilo. I always wondered what became of her so I just randomly Googled her name now and came upon this. I'm so sorry to learn she is gone but from what I've seen and read it looks like she led a great life and touched so many people. Thank you for this tribute.