08/20/2026
In Memory of John
“Hi, I’m John, a retired physicist from Cornell.”
That’s how John introduced himself every single time he met someone❤️ John became so much more than a customer to us. He was our weather guy, our volcano expert, and one of those people who became part of the heart of our little coffee shop.
John loved the rain. He somehow always knew when a storm was coming and when we were finally going to get some rain, and he was almost always right. He would sit at the shop and tell anyone who would listen about the weather, the volcano, and what was happening around our island. Tourists would come in and somehow end up gathered around John, listening to him give them the whole scoop on when the volcano might erupt next.
He supported us every single day, sometimes multiple times a day, from the very first day we opened our doors. We got so used to seeing him walk in, hearing his stories, and feeling his positive energy that it’s hard to imagine our days without him.
And now, with another storm coming, I keep thinking… I wonder what John would say about this one. Who are we supposed to ask now? 💔
John wasn’t just our customer. He was part of our coffee shop family and part of the fabric of our town. Naalehu will not be the same without him.
We love you, John. Thank you for showing up for us, every single day. We will miss you more than you know. ❤️
The video of the river is the one that runs right through Johns property. He sent that on Saturday Aug 16 at 6:10pm. He LOVED that gorge and he was so proud of all the work he's done to it. He loved the sound of the
water and that's why he built his platform right next to it.
The text message at the end is a text he sent Sandy at 7:57pm right before the huge flood happened & hearts are shattered. We are so sorry John 💔💔💔💔
