Michael Roy StrongMICHAEL ROY STRONG Michael Roy Strong passed away on October 11, 2016. Born on April 13, 1947 in Brooklyn, New York, he was 69 years old. He was retired and resided in Honolulu. Mike lived most of his life on Kaua'i. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Soil Science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Mike was an innovative figure in Hawai'i agriculture. Decades Before the current "farm to table" movement, his Kaua'i acreage produced locally consumed vegetables, papaya, ornamentals, nursery crops and some of the earliest state plantings of exotic fruit like mangosteen and rambutan. He traveled to Southeast Asia, Australia and other parts of the tropical world to research these crops and obtain planting material. Simultaneous with being a producer, he also spearheaded agricultural development on former plantation lands. When the Moloa'a area of Kauai had large-scale papaya plantings, Mike worked tirelessly with his fellow farmers to advance the local cooperative's interests. His farming success led to foreign consultant jobs with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He worked throughout Central America and the Caribbean. In Belize, his expertise created a local papaya industry from scratch. Mike served his community for a term on the Kauai Board of Water Supply. He loved sharing his knowledge with other farmers. He was a proud member of the Hawai'i Farm Bureau Federation, and the Kaua'i County Farm Bureau. He worked with those organizations to successfully lobby the Federal government to get agricultural hurricane relief for Kaua'i in the wake of the Inik'i and Iw'a disasters. He was an avid surfer, enjoying the Waikokos break on Kauai's north shore. Mike also enjoyed following pro surfing. In addition to his work and surfing, Mike loved motorcycles, music and Mexican food. He was preceded in death by his parents, Hubert Roy and Laura Strong of Yucaipa, California. He is survived by sons Eric Michael Strong of Kilauea, Kaua'i, Dylan Carl Strong of Moloa'a, Kaua'i, Austin Kalani Strong of Berkeley, California, former wife Candace Louise Strong of Honolulu, Sister Susan Trenschel of Goleta, California, nephew Christopher Trenschel of San Francisco, California, niece Sarah Trenschel of Mountain View California, grandsons Roy Eric Strong, August Robert Strong, and Maxim Michael Strong, all of Grand Terrace, California, and granddaughter Solana Ceres Strong of Moloa'a, Kaua'i.
Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased