William Donald ‘Bill’ Souza was a ‘dedicated keeper’ of cultural values
STAR-ADVERTISER / 2014
Bill Souza of the Royal Order of Kamehameha I, right, greets the Most Rev. Larry Silva, bishop of Honolulu, during the Red Mass at Our Lady of Peace Cathedral on Fort Street Mall.
William Donald “Bill” Souza, 78, was a longtime employee of the former Honolulu Star-Bulletin, a predecessor of the Honolulu Star- Advertiser, and more recently was a staunch member of the Royal Order of Kamehameha I, where he served as protocol officer. At the Star-Bulletin, Souza coordinated and edited “The Pulse of Paradise” daily calendar.
He was born March 19, 1943, in Honolulu, and died Feb. 22 in Honolulu.
Hawaiian Memorial Park Cemetery and the Royal Order are handling burial arrangements. Services have been set for 10 a.m. March 24 at St. Ann Church of Kaneohe at 46-129 Haiku Road, with visitation at 8:30 a.m. Mass will be co-presided by Bishop Larry Silva and Monsignor Gary Secor. Lunch will follow the services. Committal Service and burial will be at 2 p.m. at Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery.
Souza is remembered by members of the Royal Order as a dedicated keeper of Native Hawaiian cultural values and social mores.
‘‘Ali‘i Sir William Souza served in many administrative and leadership positions through the many decades as a knighted chief of the Royal Order of Kamehameha I,” said Ali‘i ‘Aimoku Sir Arthur W.K. Aiu of the Royal Order. “He was perhaps best known as the person whom many in the order and the community would call upon for protocol advice and guidance when there was an event that included participation by the Royal Hawaiian Benevolent Societies.”
From the Star-Bulletin, Souza joined the state of Hawaii workforce, assisting with protocol measures for the state, and later was employed at Leeward Community College.
His many friends and colleagues recall a man with a sardonic sense of humor and a wickedly funny way of lambasting some of the latest news events and often the people involved.
A Go Fund Me account for Souza can be found at gofund.me/ 22e08b80.
Donations also can be made by check, payable to Pohai ‘o Kamehameha, and mailed to: Pohai ‘o Kamehameha dba Royal Order of Kamehameha I, Hawai‘i Chapter 1, P.O. Box 23122, Honolulu, HI 96823
Souza is survived by his sister, Linda Mae “Lani” Souza; brothers Harold (Yvonne) and Franklin (Evelyn); and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
