David Kauwa Poe, Jr.'s Obituary
David Poe, Jr. Obituary
David Kauwa Poe, Jr.
October 31, 1950 ~ March 20, 2025
David Kauwa Poe, Jr. of Aiea, Hawai‘i—beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather, and friend to many—passed away on March 20, 2025, at the age of 74.
He was born on October 31, 1950, in Waianae, Hawai‘i, to U.S. Airman David K. Poe, Sr. and homemaker Rose Pua Poe. David Jr. was raised in the various places his father was stationed—Delaware, New Mexico, and the Philippines—before moving back to Hawai‘i where he graduated from Waianae High School. After earning an Associate’s Degree from Leeward Community College, David worked at Architects Hawaii for over 25 years, served as a U.S. Census taker, and finished his career at the Hawaii Department of Health’s Disability and Communication Access Board. While his son, David K. Poe III (“Wik”), was small, David Jr. coached his Little League and soccer teams and led his Cub Scouts troop. According to his wife Pat, David was always her chauffeur. As his son grew up, David Jr. was a constant in the bleachers, crowds, and auditoriums of Wik’s volleyball games, track and paddling meets, and orchestra performances. He enjoyed family trips, from road trips to New York City, Toronto, and Australia and New Zealand. After retiring, he enjoyed caring for his plants and training and walking his dog Kuma. Inspired by his grandson Welo and drawing on his architecture skills, David recently experimented with drawing.
Wik described David as “hardworking, dedicated, and stubborn.” “Devoted to his family,” noted Wik’s wife, Mayumi. His grandsons celebrated him as “funny and loving.” Pat echoed David being loving, going on to specify that he was loving “in a very quiet way. He didn’t do too much hugs, but he was always doing little things to make you know he loved you.” When Pat’s medical billing assistants came to their house, David prepared food for them and urged them to “eat, eat, eat!” Daughter-in-law Mayumi recalls that without ever mentioning it, every time “Papa” visited them on the mainland, he would sharpen all their cooking knives and outfit them with emergency supplies like solar-charged lights and a butane stove. David really liked helping people—and not to get “credit” or for how others might then view him. It could even be a person stuck on the side of the road, “even if we don’t know who the hell it is,” laughed his wife, remembering. Despite his ever-helpful, ever-thoughtful, hardworking nature, what Wik recalls his dad always saying was “don’t work too hard” and “take it easy.”
David is survived by his wife, Pat Poe; son David K. Poe III (“Wik”); daughter-in-law Mayumi Shimose Poe; grandsons Waika Shimose Poe and Welo Shimose Poe; sister Harriet “Hapalua” Briones; brother Steven Poe; his devoted dog Kuma; and countless family members and friends who loved him like family. He was predeceased by his brothers, Charles Poe and Stanley Poe.
After a devastating diagnosis of stomach cancer in February 2025 and a month of fighting hard, David shared his last day with loved ones at Pali Momi, talking story and listening to Hawaiian music. As his spirit took flight, “Hawai‘i Aloha” came on the radio.
E Hawai‘i e ku‘u one hanau e / O Hawai‘i, o sands of my birth
Ku‘u home kulaiwi nei / my native home
‘Oli no au I na pono lani ou / I rejoice in the blessings of heaven
E Hawai‘i, aloha e / O Hawai‘i, aloha.
Private visitation was held on Thursday, April 17, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., at Mililani Memorial Park and Mortuary. Details for David Jr.’s celebration of life memorial, tentatively planned for Summer 2025, will be forthcoming.
In lieu of floral arrangements, the family kindly requests that donations be made to either of the following organizations which David strongly supported and believed in:
Hawaiian Humane Society (https://give.hawaiianhumane.org/give/547731/#!/donation/checkout)
Check the box “Dedicate my donation in honor or in memory of someone.” Fill out the “Honoree’s First Name” and “Honoree’s Last Name” fields. Please let us know if the honoree is a pet or person in the “Leave a comment” field at the bottom of this page.
or
State of Hawaii’s Disability and Communication Access Board (DCAB)
Checks can be made out to “State of Hawaii” with note/memo “attn Kirby Shaw” and mailed to:
Disability and Communication Access Board
Hawaii Department of Health
Attn: Kirby Shaw
1010 Richards St., Room 118
Honolulu, HI 96813
The family would also like to take this opportunity to thank those individuals who were able to attend his viewing ceremony despite their busy schedules as well as David’s care team physicians and the medical professionals of Pali Momi’s ER, ICU, and 5th Floor.
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