On May 1, 2011, friends of Ryan Suenaga gathered at Kakaako Waterfront Park to celebrate the life of the man who so affected them.
With a fellowship that met at the pavilion by the water, we socialized and took comfort in each other before spending laying some lei in the ocean. This was a non-religious event, regardless of the spiritual nature. Ryan’s Buddhist background brought Miki Nakura, a minister from Higashi Hongwanji, to share with us a brief chant - Ryan was a regular at this Kaneohe temple.
Valentino Valdez, part of Ryan's “Tweeball” team (which includes myself), had a specially designed T-shirt available for those that attended.
I could feel Ryan's presence in the air that morning. I think he would have scolded us for "wasting" our time on him, but he MORE than deserved it. Aloha, Ryan!
Thanks to all who came and contributed.
You can find a comprehensive list of internet memorials for Ryan at Ryan Ozawa's Blog.
I previously wrote a tribute to Ryan Suenaga in a previous post.
