Gwendolyn Teixeira's Obituary
Gwendolyn Barbara Kovner Teixeira, 87, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on May 11, 1937, and passed away peacefully in her sleep on July 23, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1955 she graduated from Sacred Hearts Academy. She then worked as a shorthand secretary at Johnson and Buscher. She later worked as a dancer, a receptionist at the Honolulu YWCA, as well as in her parent’s business Economy Cyclery in Kailua, Hawaii. Her family was very important to her, so she initiated the family tradition of family gatherings for every birthday and holiday and did extensive work on the family tree. She was very creative and would enter her children into Halloween Costume Contests, which they almost always won. She served as both a girl scout and boy scout leader. She loved the ocean and would take her children to Kailua Beach every day before school and would often take them camping at the beach. She loved anything Greek and would often wear blue and white topped off with her Greek fisherman’s hat. Her trip to Greece made her beam with joy. She made some long-lasting friends at the Greek Orthodox Church and was given the name ‘Nicoleta’ after her patron Saint Nicolas who was known for his generosity and kindness. Her favorite place to eat was Zippy’s Restaurant. She had a serious sweet tooth and loved chocolate so she would always have the server bring her a hot fudge sundae with extra hot fudge before her meal because her motto was, ‘Life is short, eat dessert first!’ After her children grew up, she missed being around children so in 1984 she started a family business, Cotton Candy’s Clown Circus, which grew to include over twenty family members, spanning 4 generations. She became lovingly known to her grandchildren as ‘Grandma Clown.’ The people of Hawaii were drawn to the uniqueness of a family of clowns which was proudly advertised as ‘We are Family.’ Cotton Candy the Clown was well loved and in high demand. She became quite famous as she performed at thousands of birthday parties, as well as private and public events across the state of Hawaii, including Ringling Brother’s Circus International. She rubbed elbows with many celebrities such as Frank Delima, Kai Maxwell, Cecilio Rodrigues, Red Skelton the Clown, Ronald McDonald the Clown, Checkers and Pogo, among others. She taught Clown Camp at the Honolulu YWCA and Hokulani Elementary School. In 1989 she founded Paradise Clown Club, Alley #93, consisting of forty-three members who collectively paid visits to hospitals and nursing homes and participated in parades and non-profit events. She was a member of the World Clown Association. In 1992 she received the Small Business Hawaii Award. In 1994 she received the Who’s Who Award. The year 2000 marked the end of an era and she retired from clowning and passed the reigns to her children to continue the family business because as they say in the circus, no matter what, ‘The show must go on.’
Gwendolyn was preceded in death by her parents Alfred and Marguerite (Medeiros) Kovner; former husband Clarence Gouveia; and former husband Charles Teixeira III. She is survived by her significant other James Baker; former husband John Correa; sister Judith (Phillip) Embry; six children Charles (Debbie) Teixeira IV; Abbie Neves, Jane Teixeira, Danella (Rafael) Perez, Christie (William) Perez, and one other daughter; three step-children Charlene (Seth Kanaka) Pule, Rain (Auli`i) Teixeira-Ellis, and Robert (Jen) Teixeira; six step-grandchildren; eighteen grandchildren; and twenty-six great-grandchildren. Private Services will be held at Diamond Head Memorial Park. No flowers please. Condolences may be sent care of her daughter Abbie Neves P.O. Box 1654 Kaneohe, HI 96744.
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