More than 500 people gathered to pay respects Friday to Marco Polo fire victim Britt Daniel Reller, whose job as an airline executive allowed him to touch hearts all over the world.
Reller, 54, was one of three, including his mother Jean Dilley, 87, and Joann M. Kuwata, 71, who perished in the July 14 seven-alarm fire. His dog, Eddie, also died in the condominium blaze at 2333 Kapiolani Blvd., next to Ala Wai Community Park. The building, with 568 residential units, was built in 1971 before the city began requiring sprinkler systems. The fire remains under investigation.
A line of mourners, many in brightly colored airline uniforms, stretched past the doors of Central Union Church on Friday. They waited under misting skies to hug Reller’s family and share stories of how he affected their lives. Some knew him. Others were moved to come by the recent stories of how he lived — as a fun-loving perfectionist who always tried to do the right thing. Reller was never content to be a bystander or a slob. He was a stylishly dressed, active participant in life — a marathoner who was in it for the long haul.
Phil Reller, Britt’s senior by 12 years, opened his brother’s eulogy with a lighthearted moment as he described his struggle to find the right words for the service.
“I swear to you I heard Britt’s voice, ‘Hello. Lighten up a little bit. We’re going to move on from here. It’s gonna be fabulous,’” said Reller, whose strong delivery befitted his role as pastor at Pearl City Community Church. “So I decided at that point I was no longer going to consult with Britt. I thought this memorial service should have a little dignity to it.”
DONATIONS
The family of Britt Reller has asked that those who wish to honor him consider giving to the Evangelical Hospital in North India through the United Church of Christ Common Global Ministries. Prior to his death, Reller had been planning to accompany his brother, Phil, on a charitable trip to the hospital, which serves impoverished people. Donation information can be found online here. Please indicate that the donation is in memory of Britt Reller at the bottom of the donation page so that the family will be notified of the gift.
Seconds later, Reller had everyone crying as he talked about going to the scene of the fire. Reller said he stood on the Marco Polo grounds fronting his brother’s 26th-floor unit with outstretched hands wishing that his brother could hear him.
Reller said he told his brother, “Come on, Britt, I’ll catch you” — words he’d often said in their youth as they played in the pool.
“But he went up and his mother right next to him,” Reller said. “Britt was two weeks overdue in his mom’s womb when our little brother (Dougie, 6) died. He stayed in that womb another two weeks. My mom wasn’t going to give up that baby easily.”
Former neighbors and co-workers said they didn’t want to give him up, either. Carol Star, a Marco Polo resident who attended the service, said, “Britt was always sunshine, like his hair.”
Work colleagues also remember a warmhearted guy who was such a dedicated employee that his last call was to work. He told a Hawaiian Airlines employee that he could not find his mother and that he had crawled under a bed, before the phone went dead. The airline called Phil Reller, who rushed to the scene, where he learned later that night that his brother and mother had died.
Britt Reller was born May 2, 1963, and grew up in Willmar, Minn. He joined Hawaiian Airlines about two years ago to move closer to Phil Reller, who lives in Ewa Beach with his wife, Trina Zelle. Britt Reller’s career in the airline industry began in 1985 and also included stints at Northwest, Delta, US Airways and American. He also worked at Ralph Lauren and Bloomingdale’s.
“He was a wonderful human. We all believed that he had everyone’s back,” said a tearful Matthew Guevara, who paused in the receiving line to bend down and kiss the koa urn containing Reller’s remains.
Reller was such a compassionate boss that he called Guevara twice a week while he was on leave. Guevara said one of Reller’s last acts at Hawaiian Airlines was to loan another employee his name tag so that she wouldn’t get in trouble for violating uniform regulations.
“We loved him. He was everybody’s friend. By the Sunday after he died, his desk was covered with flowers, lei, cards and billboards,” Guevara said. “The memorials are still coming from all across the country. It looks and smells like a beautiful garden.”
Robin Sparling, Hawaiian Airlines vice president for in-flight services, spoke during the service of the popular and talented employee, who was always impeccably dressed and up for a laugh. Sparling recalled that Reller kept a mirror by his desk to make sure that his “beautiful shock of blonde” was always in place. He also was the guy who put rubber frogs and fake cockroaches on a co-worker’s desk for an entire week in retaliation for an April Fools’ prank, Sparling said.
“He was pure aloha through and through,” Sparling added.
Grace Antipala, a Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant, said she, Guevara and other off-duty co-workers planned to raise a glass Friday to Reller.
“He’s probably having a drink with Mary Tyler Moore today. She was from Minnesota like him, and he just loved her,” she said.
Phil Reller said Hawaiian Airlines and several of the other airlines where his brother worked plan to have services for him this fall.
The family is also planning a private service for Dilley, who was a gospel singer in her youth and possessed a strong faith.
“She held us together,” Reller said as he brushed away a tear. “I’m so glad that my brother moved her here from Arizona. It brought us all closer together.”
The family intends to scatter Britt Reller’s remains in Malibu, Calif., where he bought his dog, Eddie. Dilley’s remains will stay on Oahu.
