Robert Keolanui

Bob was born in Junction City, Kansas when his father, Lawrence Keolanui was stationed at Ft. Riley, Kansas. He grew up in a military family, the middle child sandwiched between two sisters. His family moved almost every other year, and he lived in Kansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Panama, Virginia, and Louisiana. In second and third grade, he lived in Panama. Against his parents’ rules, he explored the jungle near their house managing not to run into any dangerous snakes and discovered a secret beach with some of the most delicious clams his family ever tasted. Those clams saved him from getting in trouble with Mom (Christie Ellis Keolanui) and Dad.

He learned how to body surf in Hawaii, play baseball in Panama, shoot hoops in basketball coached by his dad, and also played little league football in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. Once he reached junior high, as soon as he entered a new school, coach’s eyes would light up and he was immediately recruited for football and/or basketball. He played high school football on defense at Ft. Polk, Louisiana and also in Fairfax, Virginia. Topping out at 6'3,” he was a talented athlete and an asset to any team he played on.

After graduating from Oakton High School in Fairfax, Virginia, he worked for the City of Fairfax on a surveying team and actually used some of the survey markers that were originally placed by George Washington.

Eventually he moved back to Hawaii to be near his family. He worked for years at the Hickam Main Exchange, selling cameras. Later, he became the manager of Radio Shack in Pearlridge Shopping Center and Windward Mall. After closing hours, he and his work buddies would race remote control cars through the empty mall. He also loved building and flying remote control airplanes over the Kawainui Swamp in Kailua. He taught his New Yorker brother-in-law John how to spear fish and showed him where some of the biggest Bufo toads on Oahu live. Nobody loved grinding a plate lunch more than Bob. Another favorite was lau lau, poke and poi at the kitchen table with his mom.

Eventually Bob moved to Maui, agreeing that Maui no ka ‘oi. He worked as a pressman for Maui Printing Company and was valued for his skills at running the presses and repairing them whenever they broke down. Bob was a funny rascal who made friends wherever he lived. His generosity was well known and appreciated. On Thanksgiving, he deep fried turkeys for his friends and co-workers, including his neighbors in Kahului. When he was forced to leave his home, many of those neighbors stood by in the street and cried as he left.

Although he never had any kids, he loved them and was playful with them. At the Hickam Exchange, for several Christmases he was Santa. His nephew and niece called him “the fun Uncle!” He taught them how to make grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and teriyaki salmon. He sent them huge remote control trucks and the Lord of the Rings boxed set for Christmas. He told them hilarious, inappropriate jokes when they got a bit older, and taught his nephew how to set up speakers and a subwoofer to turn his Honda into the loudest mobile rock concert in town. Even in his last years when he was mostly confined to his recliner, he got a kick out of holding his caregiver’s family babies, and face timing with his grandnephew in Washington.

In the end, Bob of complications from Type 2 diabetes with his sister Laura by his bed. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lawrence and Christie Keolanui, and his younger sister Cynthia Keolanui Iverson. He is survived by his older sister, Laura Keolanui Stark, his nephew, niece and grandnephew. A private graveside service was held in December 2024 where he was buried beside his sister Cynthia at Hawaiian Memorial Cemetery in Kaneohe, Hawaii.