Interesting Islanders

Introducing Wayne Naeole

By Karen Welsh

Wayne Naeole is a faithful, reliable, committed and responsible human being. He's simply a fine man.
That was my perception while sitting with him recently, drinking a cup of coffee with him at a local Starbucks, and talking story about his wonderful life.
Gratefully, I was welcomed into Wayne's world. It was a challenge for this shy, unassuming man, to talk about himself, but I hit pay dirt -- a life built with integrity and determination, made to last throughout the generations.
It's nice to know people like Wayne exist. A true role model in this day and age.
Ironically, this quiet 63-year-old Molokai native probably has no idea about the tremendous impact he's made in East Hawaii.
To his wife, Benedicta, or Bene as she prefers to be called, Wayne has lived a life of faithfulness. Since they met and got married in 1966, he has lovingly provided a loving and secure home.
Wayne met Bene in Honolulu, where he was working odd jobs at the time. He had just completed a four-year tour of duty with the Navy in 1963, where he was a storekeeper on both land and sea in various ports around the United States, including the Naval Training Center in San Diego and the naval base in Newport News, Virginia.
During that time, he was assigned as an original crew member of the USS Enterprise, the first nuclear powered aircraft carrier. Wayne helped commission the ship before it was sent out onto the endless ocean for long stretches of time.
Wayne worked the nightshift while on the massive ship. His rotation at the stern end of the vessel required him to eat the same meal at each sitting.
"I worked at night," he said. "So, I only got to eat breakfast, breakfast and then more breakfast when we were out at sea."
For months on end Wayne worked hard aboard the aircraft. He was looking forward to some rest and relaxation after the ship docked back in the states, but before he was able to go on furlough the Cuban Missile Crisis began and the ship was, once again, called out to sea.
While at port, the crew was told the ship needed to leave because of an incoming hurricane. Once safely out to sea, they learned the truth and soon the Enterprise was sending jets out to provide intelligence surveillance over Cuba.
It also meant Wayne never got off the ship.
"We stayed out to sea a long time," he said. "Like a year-and-a-half. It was constantly."
It came as no surprise when Wayne decided not to re-enlist. He was ready to come back to land and home, but couldn't find a job on Molokai, where his mother was a cook for the local hospital and his father drove trucks on the pineapple plantation.
Wayne felt his chances of gainful employment would be better on Oahu, so he ventured out, finding the love of his life and a steady job as a repairman for coin-operated vending machines.
The fast pace of big city life proved too much for the small island man, leading Wayne to take a step of faith in 1971 and move to the Big Island without the prospects of a job.
"I told my wife that this Honolulu life wasn't for me," he said. "It was too fast, so we packed up, left there and moved to Hilo."
As fate would have it, Wayne was offered the job of District Manager with the Hawaii Tribune-Herald. He started his service on December 24, 1971. It was the best Christmas present the family could receive.
"I appreciated just being able to work," Wayne said. "Knowing I had family on Molokai where there are no jobs to have."
Wayne's 33 year tenure at the Tribune-Herald worked out well for the paper too, as Wayne consistently modeled reliability and commitment to his job. Wayne worked tirelessly, servicing delivery routes and subscribers from HaiHai Street to Puainako Road, then Komohana to the airport.
If there was a trouble with delivery, Wayne made sure each customer was satisfied.
"Any kind of a problem or complaint, I took care of it right away," he said. "I never put it off."
During this time, Wayne and Bene settled in Kaumana. They had three children, Marsha, Ben and Chris.
For many years Wayne worked mostly with children who delivered the papers after school. His job was to train them, then oversee them on their routes. He tried to instill a strong work ethic into their lives.
He was also a role model for responsibility.
"I told the (keiki) the novelty, the fun part of the job would run out in a week or two, but they had to get the paper out," Wayne said. "It was a tremendous responsibility, but someone had to do it."
Along the way, Wayne also taught his young delivery boys and girls much needed accountability and business skills. Sometimes the lessons in work ethic made him unpopular.
"The children would tell me right out that they despised me because they knew I was going to say something about their collections," Wayne said. "But, they had to face the public, and they had to get the money out of the field."
Because the kids only lasted between six months to one year on the job, Wayne had to find a way to recruit more youth for the paper routes in his district, so he started coaching basketball and baseball for Andrews Athletic Association.
"It was a constant turnover with the keiki," he said. "I had to figure out a way to meet parents with children. It worked out and I was always had a good supply of children who wanted to work and thought $50 a month was good money."
Looking back, Wayne said he enjoyed working with the kids and his efforts paid off in big dividends.
"My greatest joy was working with the young people," he said. "Every one of them. My biggest joy was watching a child from a poor family making something of themselves. I would also have parents tell me that what I did with their children helped them later on as adults.
Eventually the paper moved to morning delivery and Wayne had to change his game plan to fit the times. Instead of children delivering papers on bicycles, he needed to switch to adults with cars. The routes also encompassed larger areas.
Time quickly marched by and Wayne's long career finally ended on New Year's Eve. It's been less than two weeks and the novelty of retirement has probably worn off by now, but Wayne knows it's his responsibility and, as he often told his workers, "someone has to do it."
Learning to manage his free time will be challenging. The only thing Wayne knows for sure is that he and his wife are looking forward to spending more time with the grandchildren, Hinano, age 13 and Samuel, almost 2 years old. Perhaps, he said, they will do some traveling. Or maybe they'll stay close to home. Only time will tell.
"My retirement didn't sink in yet so I don't have any plans," Wayne said. "We'll just have to wait and see how everything falls and then go from there."
Add patience to his long list of virtues set be delivered in today's paper. Mahalo Uncle for many years of service to your job and the community, and for providing a steadfast role model for all to look up to. Aloha!