Laughter was abundant Wednesday as more than a hundred people celebrated and honored William “Billy” Kenoi with stories and prayers in Pahoa on the anniversary of his passing.
Family, friends and county and state officials gathered to rename Pahoa District Park after the former Hawaii County mayor, who served from 2008 to 2016.
The idea to rename the park came from Kenoi’s son, Justin.
A few months ago, he contacted County Council member Ashley Kierkiewicz to see if it was possible to rename a park after his late father. Kierkiewicz and Karen Teshima quickly jumped to action to put everything together.
“How special it is to be here in Puna on Billy’s heavenly birthday at a park facility that he made sure happened,” Kierkiewicz said during a ceremony at the park. “It is so fitting for a park to be the first ‘something’ named for Billy since he believed parks were a pu‘uhonua — a place of refuge. He saw parks as a place where keiki, kupuna and families could connect with the aina and each other.”
According to Kierkiewicz, the county chose Pahoa District Park to be renamed William “Billy” Kenoi Park because he was born in Puna, he said the park was the most beautiful recreational facility in Hawaii, and he had the resolve to make sure it got done.
“Billy believed that Puna deserved a safe haven for families, and a place for children to engage in activities together,” Kierkiewcz said. “With more parks, the community would be vibrant and continue to thrive.”
Kenoi’s wife, Takako, and children Justin and Mehina said they were humbled by the amount of people at the ceremony as they spoke to many of former mayor’s friends and colleagues.
“I remember after he passed, people still had his signs up, and it was amazing to see, but I wanted something permanent for him,” Mehina said. “It’s so nice to have this and to know that anytime someone comes here, they see his name. He’s here, and he’s staying here.”
Kimo Alameda, a longtime friend of Billy Kenoi, led the program, which began with a pule.
Former Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho, Vibrant Hawaii Executive Director Janice Ikeda and Hawaii Tourism Authority President John DeFries then all spoke about how Kenoi affected the Island of Hawaii.
“Everybody has a story about Billy,” Alameda said. “Everyone he met, everyone here, he made his ohana. Everyone was Billy’s best friend.”
The park now has three distinct new features to go along with its new name. A ko‘u tree, one of the rarest trees in Hawaii, was planted next to a new sign bearing the name, William “Billy” Kenoi Park.
A 6,000-pound pohaku was placed above and between the tree and sign to create a triangle to signify manifestation, integration and change, which are three things Kenoi believed in, especially during his time in public office.
“Manifestation and change were things Billy practiced through this life,” Kierkiewicz said. “He always said it’s not ‘no can,’ it’s ‘how can,’ and ‘together we can.’”
The ceremony was also the introduction to the Billy Kenoi Memorial Fund, which is a fund meant to support academic scholarships and athletic pursuits of Puna kids.
Pastor Rene Godoy ended the ceremony with a prayer to honor Kenoi’s spirituality.
“Anytime I would ask Billy what I could pray for, he always asked me to pray for the keiki and kupuna,” Godoy said. “I think that’s part of why we are all here.”
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com
