aloha cuz,god bless. when I was about 5,I remeber a picture you showed me
of you and the crew standing by an aircraft named KASUDIBON
you told it stood for Kay,Susan,Dianne and Bonnie.

Kimo Faufata

Joel was such a treasure to have as a friend. Recently this year he drove with his "girls" Diane and Debbie,  from Las Vegas to California to go to the hospital bedside of his friend, my husband, Richard when Richard suffered a massive heart attack. We've known Joel and his family for around 30 years. You keep people in your life like Joel and count yourself lucky to have shared time in your life with them. Trips to Vegas will never be the same. Loved Joel very much. He will be missed greatly.

Joel was always such a pleasure to be around. I count it such a privilege to have known him. He will be greatly missed.

It's been years since I've seen Uncle Joe but I always remember him to be a stately man.  As a child, I remember bragging to my elementary school classmates about my uncle's involvement in the space program.  What an amazing journey he's had since life in Maui as a little boy.  I found a picture of Uncle Joe as a boy from his graduating class of 1942.  I hope you enjoy!

Blessings to Aunt Diane and cousins Michael and Deborah...

Joel will be missed by all of us in the home organ world. His love of organ music led him & Diane to us. We, at Desi's Music Centers will miss him very much.

Desi Nelson, Jr

Joel was a good friend and will be missed by all who knew him.  He has always loved flying, and we shared many stories together.  Now he is flying with the angels.  May you have clear skies and a tail wind at your back.

Even though I hadnâ€™t seen Uncle Joe for many, many years, he made a significant impression on me very early on in my life.  When I was just a little kid I received two 8x10 black and white glossy photos- one from each of my momâ€™s brothers.  Uncle Tony gave me a picture of one of his El Caminos that he was currently racing at the drag strip.  Uncle Joe gave me a photo of one of the Gemini Capsules in orbit that he had helped to work on during his time with TRW.  Of course this was during one of the most significant time of American space travel.  It was just after John Glenn had become the first man in orbit and just before man set foot on the moon.  

Eight years after I received the photos from both of my uncles, I had both of those photos hanging on my bedroom wall.  Next I was building and launching model rockets and one of my proudest ones that I built was a model of Mercury Redstone.  It had a capsule similar to the one that was pictured on my wall.  

When I was in high school my dad and I had a hang glider that we used on occasion and 15 years after that I was earning my private pilotâ€™s license while we were living on Molokai.  Soon after I got my license I flew over to Maui and was visiting the Watanabes who were living in the house all of the Holaus grew up in on Vineyard Street.  Mr. Watanabe was very proud of my accomplishment as a pilot and he remarked, â€œJust like your Uncle Joe!â€  I thought that was pretty cool.  

I still have those photos of the El Camino and Gemini Capsule.  Even without having contact with him for such a long time, Uncle Joe meant a lot to me.

OBITUARY

Joel Kaulahea Holau Jr.

December 21, 1928 – October 6, 2011

Palm South Jones Mortuary

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