William Hauwawaikaleoonamanuonakanahele Johnson Paris Jr., better known as “Uncle Billy,” died Nov. 14.
He was 92.
The paniolo is remembered for his love of the community, historical knowledge, abiding faith, and love of the aina.
“He devoted his life, in essence, to his community,” his daughter, Wilma Paris, said.
Born Dec. 28, 1922, in Honolulu, his family descended in part from John D. Paris Sr., one of the first missionaries to the island. His family married Native Hawaiians and entered ranching. His Hawaiian name means “the noise of the birds as they sing in the forest,” which was his grand uncle’s Hawaiian name.
“This mixture of Caucasian and Hawaiian produced Billy, a blue-eyed, brown-haired boy, as fair skinned as any Englishman, but endowed with Hawaiian sensibility and a deep respect for his Hawaiian heritage,” wrote Riley Melrose in a biography.
His parents were ranchers and farmers, which Paris followed. He enrolled at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, studying agriculture and participating in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.
That service pulled him into the Hawaii Territorial Guard. His first service was a “nerve-wracking night guarding Queen’s Hospital,” according to Melrose.
As the war continued, the Territorial Guard was inducted into the U.S. Army. After breaking his shoulder in Ranger training, he transferred to a tank unit that fought under both generals William Simpson and George Patton. It was under Patton that he was wounded while fighting in Germany.
He was on lookout and a shot by a German anti-tank gun hit him in the chest, sending shards of his field glasses into his body and leading to his medical evacuation.
Despite injuries to his chest and his arm in a sling, he returned to duty, knowing heavy engagement was coming.
That next day his division totalled 19 enemy tanks, wiped out enemy resistance and took 29 prisoners.
He earned a bronze star and purple heart during his service, which lead to active involvement with the American Legion and the Disabled American Veterans. He told Melrose in 2015 the shoulder injury still troubled him.
He returned to the Big Island, where he would become part of the expanding fabric of the community. He married Bertha Hermann, and the two had a daughter, Wilma “Wee-J” Paris, now of Lehuula Nui.
A paniolo and ranch manager, he began at age 6 helping his father with chicken and milk calves. In 1938, he helped load the animals into the ships at Kealakekua Bay.
“What a thrill that was leading my first steer into the Bay on a horse named ‘Grey.’ My cousin Kapua Heuer and I are the last living persons to have taken cattle out to the ships at Keauhou,” he was quoted in the 2003 citation for his induction into the Paniolo Hall of Fame.
He was one of the initial members of the Hawaii Cattleman’s Association, which became the Hawaiian Cattleman’s Council. He served for three years as president, lobbying for Hawaiian beef producers locally and in Washington, D.C.
He was the founding director of the Kona Jaycees, working to decorate the community and hold a large fireworks display.
He worked with the county transportation commission, planning commission and planning board of appeals.
One of the major projects of Uncle Billy, Wilma Paris recalled, was ending the Kona Coffee Schedule, which let children out of school to work in the fields. After years of wrangling, the schedule was ended and the students joined the statewide program.
“He’s one of the icons who only come into our lives once in a lifetime,” said Joe Tina, funeral director for Dodo Mortuary and acquaintance of Billy Paris.
He spoke both Hawaiian and English, and interwove the two in his speech.
For military funerals families would often call upon him to sing “Kona Kai Opua,” Tina said, which he was always glad to do. What was especially important was that he could explain what the song meant, he said, so the listeners weren’t merely surrounded by Hawaiian words.
Wilma Paris remembers her father as a deeply caring man, one willing to drive cross-island if a sick person needed prayers.
His faith was deep and abiding, and he would always do his best to aid those who wished it. He blessed many homes, businesses and babies, Wilma Paris said.
The community honored him by celebrating his 90th birthday in the 2012 Kailua-Kona Christmas Parade.
When he was in the hospital, the doctors and nurses had to struggle to make sure he stayed in bed, instead of going around to pray for the sick, Wilma Paris remembered. Even in his final days he was singing along with visitors.
He was a very giving man, said Tina, and only wanted to see a good result from that giving.
“I didn’t see him asking for anything in return,” Tina said.
He was honored by the Kona Historical Society for his extensive knowledge of Kona’s history and campaigning to preserve Kona’s history.
“He loved god, he loved Hawaii, and he was a keiki aina, a child of the land,” Wilma Paris said.
Friends can call at the family home at 8:30 a.m. Sunday at 79-7345 Mamalahoa Highway in Lehuula Nui. The celebration of life will be at 10 a.m. The family requests casual attire. A private funeral will follow.