KAILUA-KONA — It was time to say aloha.
A community bid final farewell Saturday to William “Uncle Billy” James Kimi, Jr., who died on February 19 at age 93.
A memorial service filled St. Michael the Archangel Church as close to 500 people paid respects to a man known for his business acumen, and his love of family and community. Famed for being behind the scenes of numerous businesses both in Kona and Hilo and for working six days a week, Kimi had a reputation for being highly disciplined, principled, and kind.
“Business and family. Those were his two passions,” said his eldest granddaughter, Lori Oka. “He didn’t collect cars or anything.”
When the energetic man did relax, it was to play the piano and hang out at the pool to watch the playtime of his extended family.
“We’d eat dinner together as a family frequently,” Oka said. “We’re talking 50 of us.”
Kimi started Uncle Billy’s Hilo Bay Hotel in 1964 on Banyan Drive — land newly opened to businesses after the ravages of the 1960 tsunami. The island was at a crossroads as the sugar cane industry floundered, and many were leaving to find work on the mainland. Kimi felt a hotel business could help keep the family together as tourism began to take off on the island.
So began the Hilo Bay Hotel and a small empire.
Complete with a restaurant, the place was hopping in the 1970s and 80s, and following on that momentum Kimi purchased the Kona Inn Shopping Village in 1979 and the accompanying establishment now known as Uncle Billy’s Kona Bay Hotel.
Known for boundless energy and a quick smile, Kimi had a passion for restaurants — Uncle Billy’s Fish and Steakhouse, Hurricane Annie’s and Hang Loose Bruddah Bar &Grill are a few. His hand was in a burger joint on Maui and a malt shop in Waimea. A farmer, peddler, accountant and more, he helped train high schoolers to be ready for the workplace, and through his entrepreneurship, is credited with providing jobs to thousands of people.
The ripples of Kimi’s life spread throughout the community.
Exiting the steps of St. Michael the Archangel Church, Sharon Hall recalled how her son Torrey got the foothold and confidence he would later need at Cuz’ns Deli Pizza &Ice Cream, owned by Kimi’s son, Kimo.
“That’s what gave him the boost,” said Hall, owner of Tropical Cuts in Kailua Village. “He realized he could make a great sandwich. He’s a famous chef at Pacific Coast Grill in California now.”
Hall remembered the personable side of Kimi and was most struck by the way — through the businesses he started and also encouraged for others — he was able to perpetuate the charm of Old Hawaii.
That hunger for Hawaii as it used to be has helped draw visitors from all over the globe, she said.
“He’ll be very missed,” she said. “He had a great heart for Hawaii and a lot of love for people. He dedicated his life to helping others have a life and a chance to live here.”
Kimi’s business took him overseas, and he was fluent in Tagalog and Japanese, though he disliked flying, Oka said. Early in his career, he got his start buying Army surplus and at one point owned a surplus store on Oahu. He’d purchase the stuff by the container and sell it in the plantation camps around the island after World War II, his granddaughter said.
“The whole village was his. Everyone knew him. He was a very nice man, and he had a good heart,” said Karen Lindsey. “Toward the end, he was riding his little scooter around. My husband and I used to go up to his house on his birthday and sing a lot of the old Hawaiian songs. He loved his music.”
Kaimi Lindo was getting set to play music for Uncle Billy at a reception on the bayfront lawn of the Kona Inn Shopping Village on Saturday evening. Lindo used to dance hula, and when he first came to the island, Kimi and his late wife, Leilani, took him under their wing.
“He loved the old music, and he really liked the Hawaiian culture,” Lindo said.
Willy Mack lamented that the world doesn’t have more good men like Uncle Billy. His wife Carla Mack, to whom he has been married 28 years, recalled going to magnificent buffets at the Kona hotel during her three pregnancies. It was delicious — seeming even more so because of her condition — and it was affordable.
“For many years there was no other place like it,” she said, “and you didn’t have to stay at the hotel.”
Hauoli Mamaguchi can still see Uncle Billy in his trademark baggy white pants, aloha shirt and hat, always acknowledging everyone he met, even if he didn’t know their name.
“I would see him in Costco, with people following him with lots of carts. I know he helped a lot of people,” she said.
“A lot of our old timers are going,” she added. “We should cherish them.”