In the early morning of Saturday, August 20, 2022, surrounded by family, Charles Aiona III went home to be with Jesus. Charles was born to Edna Uluani Kane Aiona and Charles Aiona Jr. On January 21, 1940. He grew up in Kalihi with one sister, Ruth Aiona Kalahiki. After graduating from Farrington high school in 1958, Charles enlisted in the US Army where he served from 1963-1969, which included the Vietnam war. His military service was very important to him and his life was lived in "military fashion"; everything he owned was clean, organized and in excellent condition. After serving in the Army, Charles worked in the Kwajalein Island for three years where he learned how to fix all types of equipment. He then returned to his beloved home and was hired by Royal Contracting where he invested his life for almost 50 years. Charles helped build Royal Contracting, with David Hulihee, from a small three person operation to the highly successful company it is today. He was a master mechanic and he loved challenges such as how to get cranes up to the top of Mauna Kea. If there wasn't a tool to get the job done, Charles would fabricate one.
Charles was a man of many talents and interests. He loved playing Hawaiian slack key guitar and although he always said humbly, "I'm just learning," he played beautifully. Cars were one of his greatest passions: corvettes, trucks, Hummers, Cadillacs, etc. and the faster the car went the better. Growing taro was a process that Charles found great joy in and took very seriously. He took such tender care of his crops and loved making huge batches of luau stew for his family and friends.
Charles left a legacy in the way he always took time to teach and care for others. He was known for his incredible generosity with his time, knowledge and resources. Whether it was teaching someone to rebuild an engine, learn a new song on the uke or make the best luau stew, he would share all that he knew with so much aloha. He loved passing down his Hawaiian culture to his children and grandchildren and always managed to make us laugh hysterically in the process.
In Charles' final years of life, his faith became very important to him and he was excited to meet Jesus face to face and see his mother, father and sister who all preceded him to heaven. Waiting eagerly to see Charles again in glory are his beloved wife, Melissa, children, Heather (Jason) Mcanarney, Tiffany (Davidson) Brooks, Tiger (Carrie) Hill, Lynn (Stan) Fernandez and grandchildren, Keanu, Bronson, Teah, Selah, Samson, Shine, Seven, Saint, Sunday, Abraham, Eden, Liv, Titus, Kaylen, Stanton and Layten. He also always insisted that his crew at Royal, many of whom he hired as young men, were "his boys" and he loved them very much.
A public memorial service honoring Charles' life will be held on Wednesday, August 31, 2022 at South Shore Christian Fellowship, Waimanalo, HI at 4:00 pm. There will be a military service the following morning on September 1, 2022 at Hawaiian Memorial (in the veterans section) at 10:00am. Please join our family as we celebrate Charles....and share stories about a man that lived his life to the fullest ~
