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Ulele Hamway's Obituary
Obituary of Ulele Hamway
At 95, our beautiful and loving mother, Ulele, died peacefully at The Sequoias Portola Valley on June 15. She was born on May 29, 1919 in British New Guinea to parents who were Methodist missionaries. Her name, Ulele, means "rainbow" in one of the two native dialects spoken by her father. As much as she disliked her name for its difficulty, she tolerated it because "rainbow" in the other dialect her father spoke was "Lubakaidorga." Ulele attended Auckland University College and Teachers Training College. On graduating in 1940, the British Empire was at war. Wanting a change from her life in New Zealand, she answered an ad for teachers in Suva, Fiji Islands, a garrison station for the New Zealand forces. There she met her future husband, Sam, a U.S. Navy Lieutenant who was assigned to Suva as a liaison officer to New Zealand military headquarters. Ulele and Sam were married in San Francisco after the war and eventually settled in Atherton. A long, happy marriage and five children followed. Ulele was an inquisitive thinker, passionate reader, warm and gracious conversationalist, witty writer of verse she called "doggerel," and loyal, loving mother and friend. Her love of community and organizational talents led to her key positions over many years in the Woodside Atherton Auxiliary, Committee for Art at Stanford, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and a succession of P.T.A.s. Following Sam's death, Ulele moved to The Sequoias Portola Valley in 2001 where she found a new community of lifelong friends and new outlets for her administrative, organizational and poetic talents. There, she continued her journey to expand her knowledge and understanding beyond the confines of her restricted life as the daughter of missionaries. Journey complete, Mom, and job well done. Ulele leaves her beloved children Geoff, Pamela, Alison, Gregory and Melinda, their spouses Mary, David, and Preston and three cherished grandchildren, Sophie, Max and Stephen. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Holy Trinity Church, 330 Ravenswood Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025 or the Tomorrow Fund at The Sequoias Portola Valley, 501 Portola Road, Portola Valley, CA 94028. Funeral services will be privately held.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ulele Hamway, please visit Tribute Store
At 95, our beautiful and loving mother, Ulele, died peacefully at The Sequoias Portola Valley on June 15. She was born on May 29, 1919 in British New Guinea to parents who were Methodist missionaries. Her name, Ulele, means "rainbow" in one of the two native dialects spoken by her father. As much as she disliked her name for its difficulty, she tolerated it because "rainbow" in the other dialect her father spoke was "Lubakaidorga." Ulele attended Auckland University College and Teachers Training College. On graduating in 1940, the British Empire was at war. Wanting a change from her life in New Zealand, she answered an ad for teachers in Suva, Fiji Islands, a garrison station for the New Zealand forces. There she met her future husband, Sam, a U.S. Navy Lieutenant who was assigned to Suva as a liaison officer to New Zealand military headquarters. Ulele and Sam were married in San Francisco after the war and eventually settled in Atherton. A long, happy marriage and five children followed. Ulele was an inquisitive thinker, passionate reader, warm and gracious conversationalist, witty writer of verse she called "doggerel," and loyal, loving mother and friend. Her love of community and organizational talents led to her key positions over many years in the Woodside Atherton Auxiliary, Committee for Art at Stanford, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and a succession of P.T.A.s. Following Sam's death, Ulele moved to The Sequoias Portola Valley in 2001 where she found a new community of lifelong friends and new outlets for her administrative, organizational and poetic talents. There, she continued her journey to expand her knowledge and understanding beyond the confines of her restricted life as the daughter of missionaries. Journey complete, Mom, and job well done. Ulele leaves her beloved children Geoff, Pamela, Alison, Gregory and Melinda, their spouses Mary, David, and Preston and three cherished grandchildren, Sophie, Max and Stephen. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Holy Trinity Church, 330 Ravenswood Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025 or the Tomorrow Fund at The Sequoias Portola Valley, 501 Portola Road, Portola Valley, CA 94028. Funeral services will be privately held.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ulele Hamway, please visit Tribute Store
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