CORRECTION: In a previous version of this story, the late Daniel Midel\u2019s name was reportedly incorrectly. The Tribune-Herald regrets the error and apologizes to the \u2018ohana.<\/p>\n
The granddaughter of Irene Midel said her \u201cNana\u201d \u201cwas more than a grandmother \u2014 she was the heart that brought everyone together.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe showed how to love deeply, carry oneself with pride, and find joy in life,\u201d Hulali Stevens said about \u201cAunty Irene\u201d \u2014 one of Hilo\u2019s most colorful and visible kupuna, who died at 97 on March 27.<\/p>\n
Midel was a native speaker of Hawaiian who was born in Honolulu but moved to Hawaii Island in her youth and lived in Keaukaha for decades.<\/p>\n
Short in stature but huge in aloha, Midel was a grande dame at the Merrie Monarch Festival hula competition and other cultural events. An interview with Midel was a must for the K5 Television broadcasters every year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe TV people loved her. She was so vibrant,\u201d said Luana Kawelu, the Merrie Monarch Festival president. \u201cHawaiians call it \u2018ano\u2019 \u2014 the insides, she was so clean and sharing and loving. People just were drawn to her. She was a giving person full of love.\u201d<\/p>\n
Midel always sat in the same seat in Section N Row 1 of the Edith Kanaka\u2018ole Multi-Purpose Stadium during the hula competition. Asked how long Midel had that seat, Kawelu replied \u201cforever.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know, actually,\u201d she said. \u201cThose were her seats, and she would always ask for them. And she would make sure that she had her (ticket application) in on time, because she didn\u2019t want anybody to namunamu, to grumble, to say, \u2018How come she has the same seats?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cShe really loved the festival. She always was on time. She didn\u2019t take advantage. I appreciated that. She will be missed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stevens described her grandmother as \u201cbeautiful inside and out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe carried herself with confidence, always well-dressed in her signature high heels, red nails, and lipstick, often adorned with flowers in her hair and her favorite jewelry,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople admired not just her appearance, but the dignity, pride and care she carried within herself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Midel retired from the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel in 2024 after working there for 55 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cNana had a boundless energy and spunk that inspired everyone around her. She could put the Energizer Bunny to shame,\u201d Stevens said.<\/p>\n
Some of that energy went into gardening, with Midel growing many of the flowers she wore.<\/p>\n
Bobby Jean Leithead Todd, a former County Council member, wrote on Facebook she went to school with Midel\u2019s daughters \u201cbut became friends with their mother over our mutual love of all things Hawaiian and flowers!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh the flowers! She would scold me whenever I didn\u2019t deck my hair in flowers, the more, the better,\u201d Leithead Todd posted.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe always enjoyed herself, but she also worked hard,\u201d said Carlene Wolf, a friend of Midel. \u201cShe was always with us, at all the events, at the Crown Room and the Ho\u2018olaule\u2018a.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was always smiling. I never saw her frown \u2014 ever,\u201d Wolf said.<\/p>\n
Midel loved dancing and danced hula, although she wasn\u2019t formally trained, and also enjoyed katchi-katchi.<\/p>\n
The former Irene Nohokaha Simeona, she was the widow for more than four decades of Daniel Midel. She bore eight children, and had 24 grandchildren, 52 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe loved music, could play the ukulele by ear, and had a special talent for weaving beautiful lauhala hats,\u201d said Stevens. \u201cThe Merrie Monarch Festival was always close to her heart, as were the simple joys of gathering, talking story and sharing love with others. Her laughter, smiles and zest for life made every moment brighter and left a lasting impression on all who knew her.\u201d<\/p>\n
News of Midel\u2019s passing spread quickly via social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cHawaii has lost a true gem. E moe malie, e \u2018Anake Irene,\u201d Hoku award-winning singer \u201cSistah Robi\u201d Kahakalau posted on Facebook, which translates to \u201csleep peacefully.\u201d<\/p>\n
Four-time Grammy winner Kalani Pe\u2018a posted on Facebook that Midel was one of his late maternal grandmother\u2019s closest friends. He called her \u201cHilo\u2019s queen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe love you Aunty. E moe me ka maluhia me Niolopua, me ka malu o ke akua mana loa,\u201d Pe\u2018a wrote, which translates to \u201cSleep in peace with Niolopua (the deity of sleep and dreams), protected by the almighty God.\u201d<\/p>\n
Services are pending.<\/p>\n
Email John Burnett at john.burnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CORRECTION: In a previous version of this story, the late Daniel Midel\u2019s name was reportedly incorrectly. The Tribune-Herald…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":563603,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[192,3729,79],"class_list":["post-563602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-local","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/563602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=563602"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/563602\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/563603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=563602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=563602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=563602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}