 |
|---|
 |
| Tony Lindsey, noted composer, was a longtime OHA volunteer. |
Anthony “Tony” Lindsey
April 20, 1929 – March 15, 2008
A bygone era of Hawaiian music shines less brightly today after the recent passing of entertainer Anthony “Tony” Yukim Lindsey, who succumbed to a brain tumor at age 78 after a long battle.
Lindsey, who left an indelible mark in the fashion and entertainment world, recorded two albums in the 1960s and '70s, “Blue Darling” and “Indebted to You,” under the Hula Records Label. As part of Tony Lindsey and Friends, he performed at venues like Big K in Kalihi and Elsie's Club Polynesia in Chinatown. He penned his signature song, “Blue Darling,” in loving memory of his mother, Julia Mailekini Lindsey, who died while he was away serving in the U.S. Army.
As a young man, Lindsey studied fashion design and commercial art at the Ray-Vogue Design Institute in Chicago. He worked as a commercial artist in Chicago and Hawai'i, and as a garment and textile designer for Hawai'i's venerable fashion house Alfred Shaheen's. “He lived life on his own terms all the way up until his passing and left many loving family and friends who will miss him dearly,” his nephew Robert Piper wrote in a letter to OHA. “His love of music, the Hawaiian culture, his family and his faith stands out as hallmarks to a life well-lived.”
After retiring as a housekeeping supervisor at Ala Moana Hotel, Lindsey volunteered at various organizations, including Helping Hands Hawai'i and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, where he earned OHA's Outstanding Male Volunteer award for his many years of devoted service. The U.S. Congress and state Senate also honored him for his numerous contributions to the community.
He is survived by brothers Charles R. Jr., George K., Edwin N., John E. and James F.; sisters Maile Lee, Marylane Piper and Eleanor Pietz; and many nieces and nephews.
 |
| Keahi Allen. Photo: Keith Haugen |
R.M. Keahi Allen
Oct. 25, 1941 – April 7, 2008
Not many people can claim to have a song written for them. Renee-Michele Keahi Allen, who served under five governors on the King Kamehameha Celebration Commission and served as a longtime trustee of the King William Charles Lunalilo Trust Estate, was one of the special few.
She passed away April 8 of complications from diabetes at age 66, leaving behind many loved ones, including a daughter, B.J. Allen, and three mo'opuna. Her husband, William “Billy” Allen Jr., who also served many years on the commission, died last April.
Allen's legacy includes her 30-year career as a proponent for the King Kamehameha commission and helping Lunalilo Home expand in recent years into adult day-care, temporary care and expanded food service. The addition of an adult day-care program was a dream of her late mother's, the entertainer and recording artist Napua Stevens.
Allen's work perpetuating the Hawaiian culture includes founding the annual King Kamehameha Hula competition in Honolulu and organizing and advising its counterpart competition in Japan, organizing hula kahiko workshops on all islands led by hula masters, serving as executive director of the State Council on Hawaiian Heritage, traveling the South Pacific and Asia as a cultural representative, leading pā'ū riding groups to the annual Fiesta Bowl parade in Phoenix, and conducting workshops as a master pā'ū dresser so that the art would live on. She was also a member of the Daughters of Hawai'i.
Allen, who was born in Kāhala, attended Kamehameha Schools and graduated from Castle High and the University of Hawai'i, where she earned a fine-arts degree.
The song that was written for her, Keahi, by Jack Pitman, was recorded by her mother, Tony Conjugacion and the late Aunty Genoa Keawe.
 |
|---|