Samuel Kakelaka Quin

Samuel Kakelaka Lua Ah Quin, aged 79, passed away at home in Orem, Utah on September 12, 2025. Sam was born in Laie, Hawaii on November 2, 1945 to Clarence Kealaaumoe Ah Quin Sr. and Wilda Keaka O'Hawaii Lua, the fourth of ten children. Sam's maternal grandparents, Samuel Kakelaka Lua Sr. and Kaui O'Laie Kamauoha, affectionately called Tutu Papa and Tutu Mama by their grandchildren, raised him during his teenage years and educated him in the ancestral practices of Native Hawaiian medicine.

Sam developed the traits of being a rascal early on. He loved to tease and joke and all of us have many fond memories of his playfulness. But this mischievous side was balanced by Sam's love, compassion, leadership, protectiveness, loyalty, and intelligence. There was never a problem he couldn't fix or find a solution to. He loved to tinker and he loved his duct tape.

After graduating from Kahuku High School he began to study martial arts and achieved his black belt while attending Honolulu Business College where he earned his associate's degree before being drafted. He was given a temporary reprieve from service and was called as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served faithfully in what was called the Northern Indian Mission stretching over North and South Dakota, Montana, and parts of Wyoming, Nebraska and Minnesota. Sam would often tell stories about serving the Blackfoot, Crow, and Oglala Sioux tribes and was given the rare honor of being adopted as a son to Oglala Sioux Chief Black Elk.

After his mission, Sam was drafted again in 1968, serving in the United States Army in Vietnam. His military MOS was 11B, assigned to the 4th Infantry Division, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment and he quickly became classified as an Expert Rifleman. He achieved the rank of Sergeant, and led a 6-man squad attached to Special Forces doing Long Range Patrol Reconnaissance work, before being honorably discharged. Returning home from Vietnam he resumed his studies, earning a bachelor's degree in business from Church College of Hawaii, now Brigham Young University Hawaii, and a master's degree in Business Management from Central Michigan University. Sam also loved to perform, and often traveled to sing and play guitar, garnering local notoriety for his musical talent and beautiful voice.

Sam married Dorothy Ann Lewis on December 19, 1970 in the Laie, Hawaii Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They spent their early years in Hawaii before moving to Utah so they could be closer to Dorothy's family and Sam could attend law school at Brigham Young University. He eventually left law school to pursue his career in business consulting, which Sam poured himself into. Sam and Dorothy had four children. He loved his family fiercely and could spend hours with them, singing, playing the guitar, cooking, or just telling stories. Sam had a magnetic personality that filled any room he was in. He seemed to know everyone, and could immediately put a stranger at ease and find a connection to them or their family.

Sam was preceded in death by his beloved grandparents and parents, his siblings Wilda/Keaka, Clarence/Son, Eleanor/Bugsy, Leighton/Uzi, Rose, and his baby brother Zachary/Boy whom he missed dearly. He is survived by his wife Dorothy; his children Max (Kristy), Zachary, Juanita (Andrew), and Nathan; his grandchildren Kaia, Sierra, and River who are his greatest pride and joy; and his siblings Venus/Lani, Helen/Maka, and Gerald.

Funeral services for Sam will be held on September 27, 2025 at 12:00 pm at the LDS Chapel at 500 South 600 West, Orem, UT 84058. A viewing will be held prior, beginning at 10:30 am.

Sam's family want to thank the dozens of dedicated health professionals who helped the family care for him over so many years. They will never know the weight of the impact they had on Sam's life, and on all of ours. To them we say me ke aloha. And to Papa... me ke aloha pumehana, a hui hou.