Longtime Kailua residents might remember state Rep. John Medeiros campaigning door to door in the 1970s on his motorized scooter.

"When he would go back in two years, he would call them (voters) by their first name," his wife, Gloria Medeiros, said Tuesday. "And the kids would come out and they wanted to ride the scooter, and he would give them rides."

John Medeiros died Friday morning in his sleep after battling Parkinson’s disease and a heart condition, his wife said. He was 83.

He devoted himself to serving his community in the state House of Representatives, she said.

"Many times he would say to them what they were doing when he first saw them," she said. "His memory was just outstanding, and he was very interested in his constituents. They would call him up for every problem — domestic, children, everything."

"He represented the district with great honor," said Rep. Cynthia Thielen (R, Kailua-Kaneohe). "He taught me how important that was — to learn about people’s concerns and opinions, and so I followed his role.

"He really was beloved."

Medeiros, a Republican, served in the state House for 18 years until 1986, his wife said, representing Windward residents.

He was also a delegate to the state Constitutional Convention in 1968, chairman of the Oahu Advisory Council from 1969 to 1970 and a Hawaii State Boxing Commission member for many years.

Gloria Medeiros said she remembers her husband campaigning on the side of the road with fellow lawmaker Whitney Anderson before roadside campaigning became popular.

"We became almost like brothers," Anderson said of his friend of roughly 50 years. "We went on trips together, served on different committees together. We ran as a team."

Anderson said Medeiros played a key role in getting radio reception in the Pali Highway tunnels.

"He was instrumental in a lot of things," Anderson said. "He represented his community very, very well."

Gloria Medeiros said her husband also worked to have lighting installed just outside of the tunnel on the Nuuanu side, and "the thing that made me happy was that he’s responsible for the trucks that they have on the Pali — the tow trucks — because in those days the traffic was horrendous and cars would get stalled."

John Medeiros served in the Army for seven years before getting into politics. His wife said he returned from the Korean War with a back injury, which led him to campaign on a scooter.

He was born in Hawaii and graduated in 1948 from Kaimuki High School, where he was a football all-star, she said.

Besides his wife, he is survived by son Dwaine, daughters Pamela Stier and Cindy Maser, sisters Florence Puana and Rose Fryer, 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Two sons, Damien and Dwight, died earlier, Gloria Medeiros said.

Services will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. July 31 at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Kailua. Medeiros will be buried Aug. 1 at 1 p.m. at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.

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Correction: John Medeiros was preceded in death by sons Damien and Dwight. A previous version of this story incorrectly said sons Damien and Dwaine had died.