Vicar general’s father set a ‘peacemaker’ example
Vicar general Msgr. Gary Secor will finally lay his father to rest exactly one year after he died. Donald E. Secor, a convert to Catholicism who was quietly proud to be the father of a priest, died on July 13, 2020. His funeral, delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, is scheduled for 10 a.m. July 13 at St. John Vianney Church in Kailua. A private inurnment will follow at Hawaiian Memorial Park.
Msgr. Secor said he learned a serene “peacemaker mentality” and a love and enjoyment of people from his dad, who was 91 when he died.
The way he lived his faith, both privately and publicly, deeply influenced his son. “He was a peace-filled individual who loved God and his family,” the monsignor said.
Whenever confronted with difficulty he would say in all confidence, “Will pray on it,” Msgr. Secor said.
Secor, a former Methodist, became a Catholic when his son was still a teenager before he entered the seminary. Even before that, “he was very supportive of our Catholic faith,” Msgr. Secor said.
After embracing Catholicism, he became active in St. John Vianney Parish. He was also one of the local founders of the Serra Club, a Catholic organization that supports vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Originally from California, Secor fell in love with his wife Alice and the islands while going to school in the Bay Area. He moved to Hawaii in 1951. He played the trumpet for the Hawaii National Guard Band for several years after his arrival.
Secor spent decades as an advertising sales executive for the Honolulu Advertiser and the Hawaii Newspaper Agency. Later, into his 80s, his love for cars landed him a job at Kailua Auto Parts. He was often spotted chugging around Kailua in his 1967 Volkswagen Bug.
He also enjoyed involvement in the Kailua Jaycees, the Honolulu Chorale, the Kailua Public Tennis Courts Seniors group, and St. John Vianney Church. He enjoyed being with people and people enjoyed being with him.
Secor is survived by his wife of 69 years, his children Msgr. Secor, Cheryl Nollenberger, Wendy Nava and Donna Pagaduan, 10 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.