Richard Uweloa Kamawai'ale'ale Ribuca's Obituary
Richard Uweloa Kamawaiʻaleʻale Ribuca (Rick), of Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi, died surrounded by his family and loved ones on January 12, 2019. He was 71 years old.
He is survived by his beloved Danish wife and companion through the last 26 years, Dr. Ulla Hasager;and children and grandchildren of first (Carolyn) and second (Pamela) marriages: Caprice Torrisi of Narragansett, RI, her husband Vito Torrisi and children, Amanda and Stephen; Maili Morrison of Battleground, WA, her husband Clint Granato and son Tyler Morrison; Mokuahi Ribuca of Ewa Beach, HI, his wife Malia Ribuca and children, Keahe, Keilana and Kiara; Richard Ribuca of Pālolo, HI, his wife Natasha Ribuca and children, Sidney, Anelakai, Alexander, Richard Junah, and Keoni; Marc Aina Ribuca of Honolulu, HI, and his son Ezekiel; godson Brian Wallace and his wife, Flo; siblings Albert, Eugene and Elmer (Suki) Ribuca, Teddy Pantil, May Respicio and Eileen Piligrino, but preceded in death by brother Roy Ribuca and sister Thelma Thomas – as well as everybody’s large families, Danish and hānai relatives, many friends, and his sidekick in recent years, his little dog, Max.
Of Hawaiian, Chinese, and Filipino descent, Rick was born on October 11, 1947, in Honolulu to Santiago Ribuca and Lily Ribuca (Ching). Growing up in Hawaiʻi with roots from Wainiha to Kealakekua, Rick’s younger years were spent big-wave surfing, diving for coins, enjoying the life of a beach boy, playing sports and cards, along with spending quality time with his large and loving family. This is where he discovered his love of cooking from his parents and learned to fish, hunt, carve, weave, play music and sing, along with many other skills – that he also taught his children who now keep the traditions alive.
After graduating from Kaimukī High School in 1965, Rick joined the US Army, which gave him the opportunity to travel the world and fuel his need for adventure and exploration. Following the army, he returned home where he attended community college and studied computer science at the Hawaiʻi
Business School. Later in life, Rick turned his love for adventure into exploration of the soul by completing his pastor training and leading the Jesus Christ of Nazareth Full Gospel Church for more than two decades with services out of a school cafeteria, in prisons, homes, and on Sand Island beaches.
Rick lived an amazingly active life enriched with spirit and love. He was an active participant in the Hawaiian movement – from the early years of working with Aunty Peggy Hao Ross and the Ohana o Hawaiʻi in the 1970s to the later years of supporting the 1993 International Tribunal, Ka Hoʻokolokolonui Kanaka Maoli, and the work of Ka Pākaukau with Dr. Kekuni Blaisdell, who became a close friend, along with so many others.
Throughout his life, including his years as a single father, he consistently put his children and later his grandchildren first. If a celebration did not allow children, he would not attend. He also had an absolutely unusual organizational talent, which made him an active force and leader in any community or enterprise, he became part of – big or small. Among many accomplishments, he created a basketball tournament for immigrant children in the poorest neighborhood in Copenhagen – without being able to speak more than a few words of Danish.
Aside from being an exceptional and loving Papa and Dad for his own descendants, Rick became an Uncle, Kumu, Kahu, and Kupuna to countless youth throughout the islands - particularly from Pālolo, Waiʻanae, and Kalihi. He worked as a recreational specialist, coach, and Santa at Pālama Settlement. He also influenced students from around the world, but particularly from Kapiʻolani Community College and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa through his continued work to improve the situation for Native Hawaiians. He strongly believed that supporting Hawaiian rights needed to be approached through taking care of the land, people, and culture – in addition to taking political and economic action. He helped build canoes and he co-founded and -ran the Mālama I Nā Ahupuaʻa service-learning program, which is now in its 22nd year and has become a nationwide model for indigenous, ʻāina-based education. Through this work, he made friends from around the world, from Europe and the Pacific, musicians, artists, indigenous leaders, … – some of whom no longer can enjoy face-timing with him from the other side of the globe, watching the Superbowl. His island tours – passengers in the back of his truck – were
tremendously popular.
After retiring from Pālama Settlement, the family in 2006 bought a house in Kāneʻohe, where they felt completely at home. Rick continued the practice of opening his home to people in need of help and housed them for weeks, months, occasionally years – whether a relative or a distraught foreign student. As his health in later years deteriorated, he found new ways of continuing to do what he loved to do. His kindness and generosity led him to conduct weddings at no costs and he continued his prison ministry for as long as he could. He had “gangs” of friends everywhere - at the UH sports events (as the ultimate season-ticket holder), the Windward “Y,” the Windward Mall, the sets of Hawaiʻi 5-0 (where his sons
work), and throughout Kāneʻohe, riding his scooter with the long white hair flowing in the wind.
Rick will be greatly missed - his songs, his laughter, his cooking, … With the words of his favorite musician, Bradda Iz, “there will never be another Kanaka like him”…
Richard Uweloa Kamawaiʻaleʻale Ribuca, will be laid to rest and celebrated on February 24, 2019:
● Funeral Services 9am-12pm at the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park, 47-200 Kahekili Highway, Kāneohe HI 96744 (at the new Chapel to the right of the entrance). Pastor Mike Shimooka will officiate the ceremony.
Burial to follow - just up the hill. Flowers and condolences
can be sent to the Valley of the Temples, 47-200 Kahekili Hwy, Kaneohe, HI 96744.
● Celebration of Life 1:30pm-6pm at the Key Project in Kāneʻohe, 47-200 Waiheʻe Road, Kāneohe HI 96744 (10 min N on Kahekili Hwy from the Valley of Temples). Please join the family and share your stories and songs. ʻOno grindz will be provided, but potluck contributions are welcome.
What’s your fondest memory of Richard?
What’s a lesson you learned from Richard?
Share a story where Richard's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Richard you’ll never forget.
How did Richard make you smile?
