Kathleen F Aki
Aloha nui e Ka `Ohana o Steven Aki,
It's Cuz Kathleen Aki. Sorry I'm so late with this. I just wanted to let you all know how sorry I was to learn of Cousin Steven's passing, and to express all my sympathy and aloha for all my relatives in his 'ohana: Cousin Arlette, their children Nalei, Kahaunani and Kainalu, and all their mo'opuna. Steven was always so kind and so 'olu'olu.
One of my best memories of Cousin Steven was when I first went off to college in 1982. I was flying all the way to the East Coast--I had never even been that far away from Hawai`i before. I had a ticket on Continental Airlines, and when Mama and I got to Honolulu Airport, we went to check in. Who should be the agent at the check-in counter but Cousin Steven! We had a nice time talking story, and he was really happy to see my mom. He checked me in, then we said aloha and he wished me a good trip.
I went to the gate area for my flight and just sat down, reading and passing the time until the flight boarded. I never even glanced at my ticket. Well, it came time for me to get on the plane, and I finally looked at my ticket for my seat assignment, and it said "Seat 3E." I went all down the plane looking for seat 3E, and I couldn't find it! I had to ask the flight attendant, "Where's 3E?" She said, "Oh, that's in first class." Steven, that sweet rascal, he had upgraded my ticket to first class, and I didn't even know it!
That was the kind of person Cousin Steven was--showing kindness and aloha to a younger cousin who was going off into the unknown by letting her fly there in comfort--and style! I haven't flown first class since, but it was such a wonderful way to start my college journey. Years later, I finally had the chance to thank Steven at a family party. He just shrugged it off. "Was nothing, Bebe--my pleasure." We will all miss Cousin Steven very much.
Me ke aloha nui loa,
Cuz Kathleen Puahau Aki, Andrew Cowell & Kawena Cowell
