KEKAHA — The sound of 58 big rigs blaring their horns filled the still air around the Kaumakani overpass Saturday morning as Gail Masuda, a family friend of the late Scott Dale Lanakila Cruz Wa‘alani Aviguetero, released neon yellow balloons
KEKAHA — The sound of 58 big rigs blaring their horns filled the still air around the Kaumakani overpass Saturday morning as Gail Masuda, a family friend of the late Scott Dale Lanakila Cruz Wa‘alani Aviguetero, released neon yellow balloons into the clear blue sky.
Aviguetero, 25, was one of two individuals who died in a three-vehicle crash June 20 on Kuhio Highway near Wailua Golf Course.
The balloons, attached to a handmade sign reading “Scotty,” floated above a convoy of trucks and cars filled with smiling passengers who drove from Lawa‘i to Kekaha in honor of Aviguetero. The neon balloons represented the trucking company he worked for, Wa‘alani Enterprises, and a family he loved.
The caravan began at Garden Island Mortuary where truckers from companies on the island gathered early in the morning. The casket, adorned with green maile lei, was lifted onto the back of a big rig — a unique decision that Ryan Wa‘alani, a member of Aviguetero’s hanai family, said was made to honor Aviguetero.
“It was real good to have the support of all the trucking companies,” he said.
Being July 4, many of the trucks donned American and Hawaiian flags. Above Aviguetero’s casket flew a Hawaiian flag, “just the way he had fly ‘um,” Wa‘alani said.
Small groups of Aviguetero’s friends gathered on numerous overpasses and roadside locations along the route to pay respect to the man they loved. Some held signs of remembrance while others simply waved from their truck beds.
Traffic increased from Waimea to Kekaha as hundreds of cars made their way to The Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church Kekaha Ward – Cultural Hall to visit with family. The church grounds, overflowing with guests, provided a welcoming environment for family and friends to mourn their loss and remember Aviguetero.
Bright yellow shirts, matching the color of company shirts worn by Wa‘alani drivers, were worn by some of the crowd. The shirts, showing a portrait of Aviguetero between big rigs, read “Let ‘um have it,” a phrase that put a smile on the faces of his close friends who said he was known for saying it.
Shana Marie Amulacion, Aviguetero’s companion and girlfriend, was grateful for the turnout and kind words.
“Just to see the support is really nice,” she said. “This all makes me really happy.”
Amulacion, who said her loss was incredibly hard to accept at first, credits her boyfriend for making her a really strong person today.
“He loved working,” she said. “He died doing what he really loved.”
A Celebration of Life service was held in the chapel before a burial at the Kekaha Hawaiian Cemetery.
