With honor guards from the Maui Police and Fire departments, dignitaries, family and friends gathered Wednesday to honor Maui County Councilmember Tasha Kama. The Maui News/Gary Kubota

With the blowing of a conch shell and a Hawaiian invocation, family, friends and dignitaries said goodbye to Maui Councilmember Natalie “Tasha” Apollo’kalani Kama, praising her decades of public service and her style of compassionate leadership and love.

Daughter of a Christian minister and a minister of a church herself at one point, Kama gathered people to support community and humanitarian causes long before she became a County Council member in 2019.

One of her grandchildren recalled Kama gathering them up to ring the bell asking for donations on behalf of the Salvation Army. Lawmakers praised her ability to gather people of different opinions together.

“She did it with grace, kindness and humility,” Council Chair Alice Lee told hundreds of people gathered for Kama’s celebration of life Wednesday at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. “That’s very unique in today’s world. We will always have her in our hearts.”

Kama, 73, was born on Aug. 14, 1952, and she died Oct. 26 at Maui Memorial Medical Center surrounded by family and friends.

Lee said Kama never steered away from her core values and was a champion for many programs including assisting Hawaiian Homestead projects.

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said Kama helped shape the county in countless ways with a life defined by public service not only as a council member but also as a volunteer leading numerous nonprofit groups with understanding, compassion and kindness.

“She believed in the dignity of every person who crossed her path,” he said.

Bissen said long before she was elected to office, Kama was serving struggling families and advocating for people who had the least.

“She didn’t wait for a title to make a difference. She simply lived her values, and by doing so, she changed lives,” Bissen said. “She never gave up on anyone. Her strength came from her faith and her lived experience and her compassion came from her ohana.”

A number of lawmakers and family members praised Kama’s work advocating for affordable housing and trying to help the homeless.

Part of her legacy stood on stage — 31 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren — some singing and others dancing to the Christian song “Kanaka Waiwai” while performing a hula in honor of Kama.

Before she worked in elected office, Kama served as senior pastor of the Christian Ministry Church, and her faith was extremely important to her.

Kama also served in several leadership roles in various organizations, including lead organizer for Faith Action for Community Equity, a group that focused on affordable housing and fighting homelessness.

She also was president of the Hawaii State Council of Developmental Disabilities and served on the Hawaiian Sovereignty Advisory Commission.

Honolulu City Councilmember Ester Kia’aina said she was working with U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka in the 1990s, when she met Kama. Kia’aina praised Kama as an advocate for Hawaiian homeland beneficiaries and her style of leadership.

“Tasha was one of the most wonderful human beings I’ve ever met on the face of this earth,” she said. “Whether you were a friend or a foe, she always treated you with respect. I could count on her to truly represent the grassroots of our communities.”