Frankie De Caires (Photo courtesy of St. Anthony Parish, Papaaloa)
By Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP
Special to the Herald
There are a number of good people who are pillars of the community. Many have served dozens of years in the parishes along the Hamakua Coast of the Big Island.
On the coast in Papaaloa is St. Anthony, a very small parish with 20-25 people in attendance at Sunday Mass. The other weekend the parish celebrated two very special birthdays. Both honorees were born on Feb. 19.
The first birthday celebrant and living steward is Uncle Frankie De Caires. Uncle Frankie was born 90 years ago in Papaaloa. He remembers the tragic tsunami of 1946 that decimated Laupahoehoe School. He recalls running up the hill because he was scared. However, his older sister and younger brother did not make it and were lost to the wall of water that also claimed the lives of others in the school.
Uncle Frankie is very active in the Papaaloa parish and community. He did the site work and spread the base gravel for the parking lot and driveways of the new church. He also hauled rocks from Hilo which were used in the constructing the rock walls bordering the two sides of the church property.
Uncle Frankie still walks the quarter-mile to church every day now aided by his walker. He say it is good exercise. One can also see him in church every Tuesday evening for Mass.
Gilbert Awong (Photo courtesy of St. Anthony Parish, Papaaloa)
The second celebrant and living steward is Gilbert Awong, who just turned 100 years old. Born and raised in Honokaa, his family owned and ran the Awong Brothers Store in Honokaa for decades. Mr. Awong married Veronica, the love of his life in 1947. Last year marked the 74th year of their marriage. Veronica died in June 2021.
Mr. Awong was very active at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Honokaa. However, after his wife’s death he began attending Mass and helping out at St. Anthony where his daughter lives. A cancer survivor of 25 years, he has never smoked, doesn’t drink and eats healthy foods. He cautiously challenges his doctor about the use of medicine. Always patient, positive and on-time, he said, “You need to learn something every day. It doesn’t matter what you learn, just keep learning.”
What does a 100-year old man do on his birthday? “I come church and clean,” Mr. Awong responded. To this, Father Stephen Macedo, the parish administrator remarked, “I hope I can still kneel down and get up when I am 75!”
