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68, a Honolulu native and former U.S. Marine, died at his campsite on an East Honolulu mountain earlier this year. For 35 years, he lived outdoors in the Koolau mountains, cherishing the peace and quiet he found in nature. Many residents of suburban Niu Valley knew him as Pat, a boy who grew up on Niu's Haleola Street. From a young age, he explored a series of near-pristine valleys on the east side. Pat attended schools in the district, graduating from Kalani High School in 1970. When he returned from service in the U.S. Marine Corps, he moved to the mountains of his childhood and would spend the rest of his life there. A thoughtful man, avid reader, and troubled soul, he enjoyed seeing the natural cycles of plants and animals and weather unfold around him. It didn't faze him when he faced hurricanes, flooding and nasty centipede bites. For years a pueo or Hawaiian owl would fly near him as he hiked, and in later times, a shama thrush kept him company in the forests, singing beautiful melodies. Back in the days when suburban dogs were mainly kept outside in the yard and sometimes got away, he was known for finding and returning runaway dogs. In his final years, he wouldn't hear of moving in with family or taking a senior apartment. He kept climbing to his near-summit campsite under a volcanic overhang. He said he felt profoundly fortunate to be living the way he wanted. Pat's ohana would like to thank the people of Niu Valley--residents and private landowners--for 35 years of live-and-let-live aloha for this quietly different man from the valley. Pat was preceded in death by his loving mother, Blanche Perry Wilcox; father, Paul L. Wilcox; and brother, Stephen. He is survived by siblings Leslie, Timothy and Shannon; Aunt Edna; nieces and nephews; and cousins.Arrangements Provided By:
Oahu Mortuary
