John Montgomery Lind, b. December 7, 1913 – d. October 23, 2010.

We scattered my dad’s ashes in the ocean off of Waikiki seven years ago today, November 11, 2010. It was a Thursday, as I recall. And it was a struggle to maintain composure while trying to keep simmering family conflicts, personal emotions, and basic logistics under control and at the same time maintain a calm demeanor greeting those who had came to honor his long life.

The members of the Waikiki Surf Club were there to respect and honor the club’s co-founder and longtime president. And their canoes escorted his ashes to their final spot outside the Ala Moana break.

He was a veteran in many respects, but never served in the armed services. His job as a restaurant supply salesman was considered essential for national defense during the WWII military buildup in Hawaii. As they say, “an army marches on its stomach,” and at that time there was no excess of those who could design, equip, and install all the kitchens that were needed to fuel the new island bases.

Seven years. It seems like yesterday. It seems like a time long ago. I guess that’s how memory, and life, works.

If you would like to view more photos of the event, you can find them here.

The best obituary and telling of his life appeared in a newspaper back in his home town of Long Beach, California, although he moved to Hawaii in mid-1939.