Ronald Daniels

Ronald “Ron” Daniels entered into eternal rest with his Divine Creator on September 23, 2023. He was born in Wailuku & graduated from St. Anthony High School. He was a graduate of Hotel and Restaurant Management from the City College of San Francisco & obtained his BA in Education from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Ron served in the U.S. Air Force & received an Honorable Discharge.

In 1970, “Mr. D”, as his students fondly called him, established & certified the Culinary Arts and the Hotel Operation Degree programs at Maui Community College (MCC) which included Molokai and Lanai. He retired from MCC after 25 years. Mr. D’s passion for teaching did not stop there. After retirement, he was an instructor at Maui Job Corp and taught food service for several years. He then went on to be one of the most memorable Exit Greeters at Costco.

Ron also operated his own hotel and restaurant consulting service & provided his expertise to various companies like Waikiki Sand Villa Hotel, Regent of Fiji, Kuleana Hotel, Royal Lahaina, Kaanapali Beach Hotel, Napili Shores, InterContinental Hotel, Hana Hotel, Lanai Hotel, Hotel Molokai, Captain Jack’s Restaurant & Anchor Cove.Ron was very proud and stayed connected to his Hawaiian roots as a member of the Royal Order of King Kamehameha I, Kahekili Chapter IV. And perpetuated his culture through crafts of Hawaiian feather leis and hat bands; Hawaiian seed leis and jewelry; & lauhala jewelry.

Some of his pastime hobbies were leather work, fishing, hunting, playing the slack key guitar and ukulele and ice craving. Ron is survived by his beloved family including Ronald Kalani Daniels (Emma), Jennifer “Jenny” Daniels (Chris), Austin Daniels and his loving companion Bernadette “Bernie” Wilhelm.

A Funeral mass will be celebrated on December 2, 2023, at St. Anthony Church in Wailuku. Visitation will begin at 9:00am & mass follows at 11:30am. The Rite of Committal & burial will be January 12, 2024, at Maui Veterans Cemetery at 11:00 am.