Bertil R.L. Werjefelt's Obituary
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Bertil Werjefelt at Castle Hospital, in Kailua, on February 5th, 2023, at the age of 79. He was an amazing man, full of love and Aloha. Bertil, the eldest of seven children, was born in Sweden on December 27, 1943, to Kurt and Elisabet Werjefelt. With an adventurous spirit, he left Sweden, at age 18, to work on several international cruise ships, allowing him the opportunity to travel and explore the world.
On a 1963 Pacific voyage, he fell in love with Hawaiʻi and decided to make Oʻahu his home. His first job in Hawaiʻi was working as a wine steward at Michels restaurant in Waikīkī. During this time, while attending UH Mānoa, he chanced upon a small acting role in the 1966 movie Hawaiʻi. He played the 18-year-old son of Max Von Sydow and Julie Andrews. He had fond memories of this experience, but realized acting was not for him.
Bertil, an avid reader, became a self-taught entrepreneur, businessman, and inventor. He explored many ventures in his early career, including importing seafood from Alaska and selling baby abalone and oysters for the restaurant industry. His true calling, however, was to focus on his magnetic energy research and aviation safety. Bertil invented PELS (Portable Emergency Life Support), a lifesaving hood that allows the wearer to breathe in a smoke-filled environment. Bertil was also instrumental in advocating for clean air on aircraft and provided data and testimony to the United States Congress, which helped lead to the banning of cigarette smoking on planes. His next enterprise was the invention of EVAS (Emergency Vision Assurance System), an FAA approved device that allows pilots to see during serious smoke emergencies. Bertil spent much of his late career focused on EVAS and smoke in the cockpit issues. EVAS continues to be manufactured in Hawaiʻi and is installed on aircraft around the globe.
Bertil was passionate about boating, fishing, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. He enjoyed weekends at the Kāneʻohe sandbar and planning fishing trip adventures, especially to the North shore of Molokaʻi. Bertil was loving, thoughtful, generous, kind, smart, and had a great sense of humor. He was a wonderful father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend. He was preceded in death by his parents, Kurt and Elisabet, and his brother Stefan. He is survived by his five siblings in Sweden; his wife, Christina; his children & their spouses; and many wonderful grandchildren, nieces, nephews and in laws. Bertil will be greatly missed. A private celebration of life in his honor will be held at a later date. The family is thankful for all the loving thoughts and condolences.
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