Mua'au Fa'amaoni Savusa

And our favorite poem will provide some comfort:

I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart). I am never without it (anywhere I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling).

I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet). I want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true). And it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you.

Here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide). And this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart.

I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart).

By EE Cummings

My love, we met 28 years ago on May 13, 1995 and have been married 20 years to date. We had a rough start, as we were in our late 40’s and both set in our ways. We were distant from God and our lives then were work, golf and night clubs (the famous Sema's Night Club). Our turning point was when we decided to prepare for marriage at my Catholic Church. This when Mua shared she hasn't been attending church because God took her father, mother and oldest sister in the past nine years. Mua also shared she continues to pray to God that she promises to care for her children until the youngest graduates from high school and for God to seek a good man for her, she did say this, I promise.

She completed the requirements for becoming a Catholic by attending the RCIA, Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. I remember how proud you were to be able to receive the sacraments of confirmation and eucharist. We are able to experience the blessings of God in our lives when we commit our lives to the Lord.

Above all Mua’au, you are the anchor of our family and the generations past. You are the bridge for our family and children’s future because you instilled the values of honesty, respect and faith by being a role model of those values.

Your Final Requests:

A Catholic funeral service and to love her family and our children. Yes, my love, with all my heart!

Isaiah 55:6 “Seek the Lord, while he is able to be found and call upon him, while he is near.”

For Danny, Jayleen and children; Naiuli Kennedy, Olivia, Christian and Blanca: honor me by continuing my legacy in the Catholic faith.

For Vivian, Jason and children; Valerie and children; Kelvin, Zakia and children; Tony and Linda; and Fritz: continue to praise God in your respective churches and when in doubt, please ask (Siri) who started the Catholic Church

Come my love, we must now part with the parting words of King Tuimau's son to his Manamea (sweetheart)

Fai mai le muagaga fa'a Samoa, e le se timu na to, o le ua e afua mai Manu'a. E ma'fua mai i upu taumavae a le alo o le Tui Manu'a i lana manamea. A aga'i mai le timu mai le itu o Manu'a. E le ose timu na to, ae o ou loimata o le alofa e le' mavae mo oe lau pele e le uma Malie lou loto se taumafaiga, manuia lau malaga lau Manamea Mua’au.

Faatulou le Malumalu tapuai ae sei ou alaga i le alaga a le nuu ua malie afenoa i le pule faasoa a le Atua

Mua ina mua ia

Mua......O. Mua……O. Mua…O.

Eulogy

The only thing deeper than the pain of losing a loved one is remembering all the love you shared together. Life and death are part of us all, but blessed with eternal life are those who believe in Christ.

On September 17th,1948, Mua’au Fa’amaoni Savusa was born in Pago Pago, American Samoa where she was raised by her maternal grandmother Vaelua Afoa Tupuola Lutu and grandfather Ga’oupu Ivi Pulu Mapusaga Eteuati. It was during her upbringing that she learned the core Fa’a Samoa traditions and customs that she loved and valued throughout her entire life. In 1965, Mama moved to Halawa, HI where she reunited with her mother and father, Vieni Ga’oupu Pulu and Fa’amaoni Tutogi Faletagoa’i, respectively. Upon arrival, Mama began attending Aiea High School and shortly afterwards, began dating Naiuli Lepisi. They married on December 10th,1966 from which she had all seven of her children. In 1980, the entire family uprooted from Hawaii and moved to Carson, CA in search of better opportunities. They divorced in 1988 and Mama eventually returned to Hawaii in 1994.

As fate would have it, this is where Mama met the love of her life, Taylor Savusa, on Mother’s Day of 1995. On November 3rd, 2003, they were married.Through this union, Mama gained three beautiful children and three grandchildren.Their union and the life that they created together is one that dreams are made of. Dad always made sure that Mama lived her best life – happily ever after.

Mama and Dad returned to Samoa where they built a beautiful life together. For most of her life, she worked in banks; in 2015, she retired as an accounting and loan officer for Development Bank of American Samoa. When she wasn’t working, she devoted countless hours to the church and serving her community. As an active member of the Saint Paul Catholic Parish in American Samoa, she held a secretary position on the Ili’ili Board of Directors for six years and served as president of the women’s association. Beyond this, she served as president of the Pago Pago Diocese Catholic Women Association. Mama excelled in all that she did because of her hard work, determination, and confidence in her ability to accomplish anything that she set her mind to.

Mama had a zest for life and was always the life of the party. She had a presence and smile that could fill and brighten up any room. She commanded respect from everyone. She was an incredible role model/teacher and touched the lives of many. For example, she taught us all to always put God first in everything that you do. She also taught us to have dignity, poise, bravery, and humility. Whenever we teased Mama about her FOB English, she would remind us that she spoke English long before we did and that she was the one that taught us how to speak it!

On September 8th, 2022 Mama was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. Despite receiving this devastating news, Mama remained rooted in her faith in God. Throughout this difficult journey, Mama remained steadfast in her faith and shared the gospel every single day. She poured all her love into her family and friends, as they did in return. After battling for almost a year, on August 17, 2023 Mama entered eternal rest while surrounded by her loved ones.

Mua’au Fa’amaoni Savusa is survived by her husband, Taylor Savusa, 10 kids, 16 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren and 6 siblings. She has many beloved nieces, nephews, and friends who looked up to her and called her Mama.

We will miss everything about Mama: her smile, jokes, laugh, advice, dancing, bubbly personality and the list goes on.

This is not goodbye, Mama. We know you have the biggest smile on your beautiful face as you are greeted by the choir of angels at the gates of Heaven. Enjoy heaven and keep smiling down on us all. You have created a beautiful legacy that will live on forever. We miss and love you, always. Until we meet again.