He was killed in an auto accident.
Fell asleep at the wheel of a VW Bug and went down an embankment. (Not far from where the actor James Dean was killed in a car accident) The owner of the car was asleep in the backseat and was uninjured. Highway #46-four miles east of Chalome, California. Time of death appox. 3:10am, dead on arrival, Paso Robles District Hospital. Survived by his wife Linda Carole and two sons Christopher David and Daniel Mark.
It was the largest funeral in Gilroy up to that time. All his family came from Hawaii. Quote from his father "look at all these people, he could have ran for office".
Kalei was very talented and was taken in the prime of his life.
-----------------------------------------------
Remembering Kalei's Accident
David Kaleinani Kamalani
Born
Honolulu, Hawaii
1 Sep 1941 / 13 Aug 1969
Age 27
Kalei had came home from the field he was supervising in Wasco to play volleyball. He came in a VW that was owned by one of his workers. They stayed only long enough to play a couple of games and then Kalei said they should get back to the fields.
I told his worker not to let him drive because he falls asleep at the wheel. Of course with Kalei being the "boss" the poor kid couldn't tell him not to drive.
I went to bed and woke up and looked at the clock and it said 3:30 and I thought they should just about be there and went back to sleep.
At 6:00 there was a knock on the door and when I opened it there was a young Policeman standing there. He was one of Kalei's martial arts students. He said Mrs. Kamalani I was sent to tell you Sensi was killed in an auto accident this morning. I just stood there, both boys were hanging on my legs. I remember saying where is he and the boy said San Luis Obispo. He then sat on the couch. I suppose he was told not to leave me alone until the family got there.
Kalei had fallen asleep at the wheel and plunged down the embankment rolling the VW about 3 times. His head went out the side window and was crushed during the rolls. His worker was thrown around in the back but wasn't hurt. He claimed up the hill and flagged a car that happened to be going by at that time of night. He was in shock and kept saying I killed him. He thought because I told him not to let Kalei drive it was his fault.
I went to the phone and called Momma. My brother Donald came right over and talked with the policeman then took me and the boys to their house.
Once there I called my brother Loren. He was a Captain on the San Diego Police Force and was in a meeting when I called. They said they didn't know me and wouldn't call him to the phone. I asked if Captain Ralph Davis was there and they put him on the phone. I told him who I was and because he was good friends with Loren he knew me and called Loren to the phone. More about Loren later.
I then called Momma and Daddy Kamalani in Hawaii. They said they would catch a flight and be here in about 24 hours. More on them later.
I called Kalei's brother Charlie and told him. The first thing he asked was, did some drunken Mexicans hit him. More later
Donald said he had driven around the block 5 times before he had courage enough to go into the Habing Funeral Home. When he finally went in he asked them what he should do and they said not to worry they would take care of everything.
The next day Donald and I went to the Funeral Parlor and picked out a casket and gave them clothes for Kalei to wear.
Later that evening we got a call that the Hawaiian family had arrived at S.F. airport and were renting cars to come to Gilroy. I told them they could stay at our duplex as the boys and I were staying with my folks. There were lots of Hawaiians. Momma, Daddy, Caroljean, Butchie, Billie Boy, cousins Aloma, and Lahoma Tuck,
Charlie, Adell, and their 6 children came and got a motel room.
I got a call back from my brother Loren and he said he didn't know if they could make the funeral as he was afraid to fly. He and his wife Jenny showed up the next day as she made him fly saying there was no way in hell they weren't coming to the funeral. We had a houseful.
Because there had to be an autopsy we didn't get Kalei back for 2 days. When he arrived at our funeral home his Hawaiian family, who had brought leis, covered him with them and took shifts sitting with him.
The day of the funeral was draining.
First, we went to the local LDS (Mormon) church for services which lasted about an hour.
Then we proceeded to the cemetery.
There were protocols that needed to be followed.
The pallbearers were students from his Dojo. There were special cars for the family to ride in. It almost turned into a fiasco because there were so many people attending. It was the largest funeral that Gilroy had up to that date. The funeral parlor had to call the police to help direct traffic at the cemetery.
The LDS Bishop said words at the grave then Momma and Daddy Kamalani sang The Lord's Prayer in Hawaiian.
I was standing next to Daddy Kamalani and he looked at all the people covering the cemetery then leaned over and said Look at all those people he could have run for office. Always a politician.
One poignant moment was when we were getting into the car to leave the cemetery Chris jumped out of the car and ran back to the grave. He had forgotten to leave his flower on the casket.
Another heartbreaking incident was when about a week after the funeral Danny came to me and said I'm don't want Daddy to sleep anymore. I cried.
It was hard trying to explain death to 5 and 3 year olds. I had told them that he was asleep with God in Heaven.
Strange Things
The night after Kalei was killed I was sleeping in the bedroom at Momma's house with the boys sleeping on the floor next to the bed. I woke up with a start and looked over at them only to see Kalei leaning over the bed looking at them. He stood there for a short time then left.
About three weeks after Kalei died we heard this terrible noise in the garage (We were living by then with Momma, Daddy & Donald) and when we went out to see what was going on. Our cat "Weird old Harold" was lying on the floor with his hind leg almost torn off. I was real scary so when I called Kalei's Mother she told me that it was probably Kalei and he was angry because he died. She told me to go in the bedroom and talk to him. She said to cuss him out and tell him to leave us alone because that is the only way to deal with Hawaiian spirits. I did and I have never had any more problems.
Fell asleep at the wheel of a VW Bug and went down an embankment. (Not far from where the actor James Dean was killed in a car accident) The owner of the car was asleep in the backseat and was uninjured. Highway #46-four miles east of Chalome, California. Time of death appox. 3:10am, dead on arrival, Paso Robles District Hospital. Survived by his wife Linda Carole and two sons Christopher David and Daniel Mark.
It was the largest funeral in Gilroy up to that time. All his family came from Hawaii. Quote from his father "look at all these people, he could have ran for office".
Kalei was very talented and was taken in the prime of his life.
-----------------------------------------------
Remembering Kalei's Accident
David Kaleinani Kamalani
Born
Honolulu, Hawaii
1 Sep 1941 / 13 Aug 1969
Age 27
Kalei had came home from the field he was supervising in Wasco to play volleyball. He came in a VW that was owned by one of his workers. They stayed only long enough to play a couple of games and then Kalei said they should get back to the fields.
I told his worker not to let him drive because he falls asleep at the wheel. Of course with Kalei being the "boss" the poor kid couldn't tell him not to drive.
I went to bed and woke up and looked at the clock and it said 3:30 and I thought they should just about be there and went back to sleep.
At 6:00 there was a knock on the door and when I opened it there was a young Policeman standing there. He was one of Kalei's martial arts students. He said Mrs. Kamalani I was sent to tell you Sensi was killed in an auto accident this morning. I just stood there, both boys were hanging on my legs. I remember saying where is he and the boy said San Luis Obispo. He then sat on the couch. I suppose he was told not to leave me alone until the family got there.
Kalei had fallen asleep at the wheel and plunged down the embankment rolling the VW about 3 times. His head went out the side window and was crushed during the rolls. His worker was thrown around in the back but wasn't hurt. He claimed up the hill and flagged a car that happened to be going by at that time of night. He was in shock and kept saying I killed him. He thought because I told him not to let Kalei drive it was his fault.
I went to the phone and called Momma. My brother Donald came right over and talked with the policeman then took me and the boys to their house.
Once there I called my brother Loren. He was a Captain on the San Diego Police Force and was in a meeting when I called. They said they didn't know me and wouldn't call him to the phone. I asked if Captain Ralph Davis was there and they put him on the phone. I told him who I was and because he was good friends with Loren he knew me and called Loren to the phone. More about Loren later.
I then called Momma and Daddy Kamalani in Hawaii. They said they would catch a flight and be here in about 24 hours. More on them later.
I called Kalei's brother Charlie and told him. The first thing he asked was, did some drunken Mexicans hit him. More later
Donald said he had driven around the block 5 times before he had courage enough to go into the Habing Funeral Home. When he finally went in he asked them what he should do and they said not to worry they would take care of everything.
The next day Donald and I went to the Funeral Parlor and picked out a casket and gave them clothes for Kalei to wear.
Later that evening we got a call that the Hawaiian family had arrived at S.F. airport and were renting cars to come to Gilroy. I told them they could stay at our duplex as the boys and I were staying with my folks. There were lots of Hawaiians. Momma, Daddy, Caroljean, Butchie, Billie Boy, cousins Aloma, and Lahoma Tuck,
Charlie, Adell, and their 6 children came and got a motel room.
I got a call back from my brother Loren and he said he didn't know if they could make the funeral as he was afraid to fly. He and his wife Jenny showed up the next day as she made him fly saying there was no way in hell they weren't coming to the funeral. We had a houseful.
Because there had to be an autopsy we didn't get Kalei back for 2 days. When he arrived at our funeral home his Hawaiian family, who had brought leis, covered him with them and took shifts sitting with him.
The day of the funeral was draining.
First, we went to the local LDS (Mormon) church for services which lasted about an hour.
Then we proceeded to the cemetery.
There were protocols that needed to be followed.
The pallbearers were students from his Dojo. There were special cars for the family to ride in. It almost turned into a fiasco because there were so many people attending. It was the largest funeral that Gilroy had up to that date. The funeral parlor had to call the police to help direct traffic at the cemetery.
The LDS Bishop said words at the grave then Momma and Daddy Kamalani sang The Lord's Prayer in Hawaiian.
I was standing next to Daddy Kamalani and he looked at all the people covering the cemetery then leaned over and said Look at all those people he could have run for office. Always a politician.
One poignant moment was when we were getting into the car to leave the cemetery Chris jumped out of the car and ran back to the grave. He had forgotten to leave his flower on the casket.
Another heartbreaking incident was when about a week after the funeral Danny came to me and said I'm don't want Daddy to sleep anymore. I cried.
It was hard trying to explain death to 5 and 3 year olds. I had told them that he was asleep with God in Heaven.
Strange Things
The night after Kalei was killed I was sleeping in the bedroom at Momma's house with the boys sleeping on the floor next to the bed. I woke up with a start and looked over at them only to see Kalei leaning over the bed looking at them. He stood there for a short time then left.
About three weeks after Kalei died we heard this terrible noise in the garage (We were living by then with Momma, Daddy & Donald) and when we went out to see what was going on. Our cat "Weird old Harold" was lying on the floor with his hind leg almost torn off. I was real scary so when I called Kalei's Mother she told me that it was probably Kalei and he was angry because he died. She told me to go in the bedroom and talk to him. She said to cuss him out and tell him to leave us alone because that is the only way to deal with Hawaiian spirits. I did and I have never had any more problems.
He was killed in an auto accident.
Fell asleep at the wheel of a VW Bug and went down an embankment. (Not far from where the actor James Dean was killed in a car accident) The owner of the car was asleep in the backseat and was uninjured. Highway #46-four miles east of Chalome, California. Time of death appox. 3:10am, dead on arrival, Paso Robles District Hospital. Survived by his wife Linda Carole and two sons Christopher David and Daniel Mark.
It was the largest funeral in Gilroy up to that time. All his family came from Hawaii. Quote from his father "look at all these people, he could have ran for office".
Kalei was very talented and was taken in the prime of his life.
-----------------------------------------------
Remembering Kalei's Accident
David Kaleinani Kamalani
Born
Honolulu, Hawaii
1 Sep 1941 / 13 Aug 1969
Age 27
Kalei had came home from the field he was supervising in Wasco to play volleyball. He came in a VW that was owned by one of his workers. They stayed only long enough to play a couple of games and then Kalei said they should get back to the fields.
I told his worker not to let him drive because he falls asleep at the wheel. Of course with Kalei being the "boss" the poor kid couldn't tell him not to drive.
I went to bed and woke up and looked at the clock and it said 3:30 and I thought they should just about be there and went back to sleep.
At 6:00 there was a knock on the door and when I opened it there was a young Policeman standing there. He was one of Kalei's martial arts students. He said Mrs. Kamalani I was sent to tell you Sensi was killed in an auto accident this morning. I just stood there, both boys were hanging on my legs. I remember saying where is he and the boy said San Luis Obispo. He then sat on the couch. I suppose he was told not to leave me alone until the family got there.
Kalei had fallen asleep at the wheel and plunged down the embankment rolling the VW about 3 times. His head went out the side window and was crushed during the rolls. His worker was thrown around in the back but wasn't hurt. He claimed up the hill and flagged a car that happened to be going by at that time of night. He was in shock and kept saying I killed him. He thought because I told him not to let Kalei drive it was his fault.
I went to the phone and called Momma. My brother Donald came right over and talked with the policeman then took me and the boys to their house.
Once there I called my brother Loren. He was a Captain on the San Diego Police Force and was in a meeting when I called. They said they didn't know me and wouldn't call him to the phone. I asked if Captain Ralph Davis was there and they put him on the phone. I told him who I was and because he was good friends with Loren he knew me and called Loren to the phone. More about Loren later.
I then called Momma and Daddy Kamalani in Hawaii. They said they would catch a flight and be here in about 24 hours. More on them later.
I called Kalei's brother Charlie and told him. The first thing he asked was, did some drunken Mexicans hit him. More later
Donald said he had driven around the block 5 times before he had courage enough to go into the Habing Funeral Home. When he finally went in he asked them what he should do and they said not to worry they would take care of everything.
The next day Donald and I went to the Funeral Parlor and picked out a casket and gave them clothes for Kalei to wear.
Later that evening we got a call that the Hawaiian family had arrived at S.F. airport and were renting cars to come to Gilroy. I told them they could stay at our duplex as the boys and I were staying with my folks. There were lots of Hawaiians. Momma, Daddy, Caroljean, Butchie, Billie Boy, cousins Aloma, and Lahoma Tuck,
Charlie, Adell, and their 6 children came and got a motel room.
I got a call back from my brother Loren and he said he didn't know if they could make the funeral as he was afraid to fly. He and his wife Jenny showed up the next day as she made him fly saying there was no way in hell they weren't coming to the funeral. We had a houseful.
Because there had to be an autopsy we didn't get Kalei back for 2 days. When he arrived at our funeral home his Hawaiian family, who had brought leis, covered him with them and took shifts sitting with him.
The day of the funeral was draining.
First, we went to the local LDS (Mormon) church for services which lasted about an hour.
Then we proceeded to the cemetery.
There were protocols that needed to be followed.
The pallbearers were students from his Dojo. There were special cars for the family to ride in. It almost turned into a fiasco because there were so many people attending. It was the largest funeral that Gilroy had up to that date. The funeral parlor had to call the police to help direct traffic at the cemetery.
The LDS Bishop said words at the grave then Momma and Daddy Kamalani sang The Lord's Prayer in Hawaiian.
I was standing next to Daddy Kamalani and he looked at all the people covering the cemetery then leaned over and said Look at all those people he could have run for office. Always a politician.
One poignant moment was when we were getting into the car to leave the cemetery Chris jumped out of the car and ran back to the grave. He had forgotten to leave his flower on the casket.
Another heartbreaking incident was when about a week after the funeral Danny came to me and said I'm don't want Daddy to sleep anymore. I cried.
It was hard trying to explain death to 5 and 3 year olds. I had told them that he was asleep with God in Heaven.
Strange Things
The night after Kalei was killed I was sleeping in the bedroom at Momma's house with the boys sleeping on the floor next to the bed. I woke up with a start and looked over at them only to see Kalei leaning over the bed looking at them. He stood there for a short time then left.
About three weeks after Kalei died we heard this terrible noise in the garage (We were living by then with Momma, Daddy & Donald) and when we went out to see what was going on. Our cat "Weird old Harold" was lying on the floor with his hind leg almost torn off. I was real scary so when I called Kalei's Mother she told me that it was probably Kalei and he was angry because he died. She told me to go in the bedroom and talk to him. She said to cuss him out and tell him to leave us alone because that is the only way to deal with Hawaiian spirits. I did and I have never had any more problems.
Fell asleep at the wheel of a VW Bug and went down an embankment. (Not far from where the actor James Dean was killed in a car accident) The owner of the car was asleep in the backseat and was uninjured. Highway #46-four miles east of Chalome, California. Time of death appox. 3:10am, dead on arrival, Paso Robles District Hospital. Survived by his wife Linda Carole and two sons Christopher David and Daniel Mark.
It was the largest funeral in Gilroy up to that time. All his family came from Hawaii. Quote from his father "look at all these people, he could have ran for office".
Kalei was very talented and was taken in the prime of his life.
-----------------------------------------------
Remembering Kalei's Accident
David Kaleinani Kamalani
Born
Honolulu, Hawaii
1 Sep 1941 / 13 Aug 1969
Age 27
Kalei had came home from the field he was supervising in Wasco to play volleyball. He came in a VW that was owned by one of his workers. They stayed only long enough to play a couple of games and then Kalei said they should get back to the fields.
I told his worker not to let him drive because he falls asleep at the wheel. Of course with Kalei being the "boss" the poor kid couldn't tell him not to drive.
I went to bed and woke up and looked at the clock and it said 3:30 and I thought they should just about be there and went back to sleep.
At 6:00 there was a knock on the door and when I opened it there was a young Policeman standing there. He was one of Kalei's martial arts students. He said Mrs. Kamalani I was sent to tell you Sensi was killed in an auto accident this morning. I just stood there, both boys were hanging on my legs. I remember saying where is he and the boy said San Luis Obispo. He then sat on the couch. I suppose he was told not to leave me alone until the family got there.
Kalei had fallen asleep at the wheel and plunged down the embankment rolling the VW about 3 times. His head went out the side window and was crushed during the rolls. His worker was thrown around in the back but wasn't hurt. He claimed up the hill and flagged a car that happened to be going by at that time of night. He was in shock and kept saying I killed him. He thought because I told him not to let Kalei drive it was his fault.
I went to the phone and called Momma. My brother Donald came right over and talked with the policeman then took me and the boys to their house.
Once there I called my brother Loren. He was a Captain on the San Diego Police Force and was in a meeting when I called. They said they didn't know me and wouldn't call him to the phone. I asked if Captain Ralph Davis was there and they put him on the phone. I told him who I was and because he was good friends with Loren he knew me and called Loren to the phone. More about Loren later.
I then called Momma and Daddy Kamalani in Hawaii. They said they would catch a flight and be here in about 24 hours. More on them later.
I called Kalei's brother Charlie and told him. The first thing he asked was, did some drunken Mexicans hit him. More later
Donald said he had driven around the block 5 times before he had courage enough to go into the Habing Funeral Home. When he finally went in he asked them what he should do and they said not to worry they would take care of everything.
The next day Donald and I went to the Funeral Parlor and picked out a casket and gave them clothes for Kalei to wear.
Later that evening we got a call that the Hawaiian family had arrived at S.F. airport and were renting cars to come to Gilroy. I told them they could stay at our duplex as the boys and I were staying with my folks. There were lots of Hawaiians. Momma, Daddy, Caroljean, Butchie, Billie Boy, cousins Aloma, and Lahoma Tuck,
Charlie, Adell, and their 6 children came and got a motel room.
I got a call back from my brother Loren and he said he didn't know if they could make the funeral as he was afraid to fly. He and his wife Jenny showed up the next day as she made him fly saying there was no way in hell they weren't coming to the funeral. We had a houseful.
Because there had to be an autopsy we didn't get Kalei back for 2 days. When he arrived at our funeral home his Hawaiian family, who had brought leis, covered him with them and took shifts sitting with him.
The day of the funeral was draining.
First, we went to the local LDS (Mormon) church for services which lasted about an hour.
Then we proceeded to the cemetery.
There were protocols that needed to be followed.
The pallbearers were students from his Dojo. There were special cars for the family to ride in. It almost turned into a fiasco because there were so many people attending. It was the largest funeral that Gilroy had up to that date. The funeral parlor had to call the police to help direct traffic at the cemetery.
The LDS Bishop said words at the grave then Momma and Daddy Kamalani sang The Lord's Prayer in Hawaiian.
I was standing next to Daddy Kamalani and he looked at all the people covering the cemetery then leaned over and said Look at all those people he could have run for office. Always a politician.
One poignant moment was when we were getting into the car to leave the cemetery Chris jumped out of the car and ran back to the grave. He had forgotten to leave his flower on the casket.
Another heartbreaking incident was when about a week after the funeral Danny came to me and said I'm don't want Daddy to sleep anymore. I cried.
It was hard trying to explain death to 5 and 3 year olds. I had told them that he was asleep with God in Heaven.
Strange Things
The night after Kalei was killed I was sleeping in the bedroom at Momma's house with the boys sleeping on the floor next to the bed. I woke up with a start and looked over at them only to see Kalei leaning over the bed looking at them. He stood there for a short time then left.
About three weeks after Kalei died we heard this terrible noise in the garage (We were living by then with Momma, Daddy & Donald) and when we went out to see what was going on. Our cat "Weird old Harold" was lying on the floor with his hind leg almost torn off. I was real scary so when I called Kalei's Mother she told me that it was probably Kalei and he was angry because he died. She told me to go in the bedroom and talk to him. She said to cuss him out and tell him to leave us alone because that is the only way to deal with Hawaiian spirits. I did and I have never had any more problems.
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