A good mind, a good heart, warm feelings, these are the most important things.
- Dalai Lama
Jon Mozo embodied all of this in his brief 33 year tenure in thisworld. A well-respected Hawaii'an photographer, cinematographer, andsurfer, Jon Mozo died on February 9 while photographing waves andsurfers at Backdoor Pipeline. While the details are still unclear, he most likely was thrown over the falls andsubsequently hit his head on the reef.
Jon was a testament to all that was good and humble in the worldtoday, and his presence inspired the same from those around him. Atalented photographer and surfer, he was a great waterman and a humbleand honest soul. He gave tirelessly to his community, church, and tothe youth of Hawaii and Tahiti. Last December, when a Mililanineighbor was not able to get a Christmas tree, Jon found a tree,decorated it and left it at the neighbor's house.
Over 1,500 family, friends, and well-wishers attended his funeral andburial on Saturday February 19 at the The Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter-day Saints in La'ie. Speakers included his daughter, Amber, hiswife Nikki, father Reynaldo, and close friends Rachel Runnels, KellyBishop, and Owen Matsunaga. In his eulogy to Jon, his brother andclose friend Allen read the following passage from Khalil Gibran's TheProphet:
"…And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from itsrestless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?/
Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing. /
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb. /
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance."
Two days later, on Monday February 21, on a beautiful sun-drenched dayat Jon's favorite beach, Malaekahana, hundreds of his friends andfamily gathered to bid farewell to a man who touched so many lives. Onthe same beach where Jon loved to surf, proposed to and married hiswife Nikki, and brought his children to play, his family paddled outin a double-hull canoe draped in maile lei under clear blue skies andinto sparkling turquoise water while hundreds of friends subsequentlyformed a huge circle around them. After a brief prayer, lei's andflowers were tossed into the water to pay respects to a great man. Andimmediately afterwards, as was Jon's dream, his son Makana anddaughter Amber surfed Jon's favorite break for the first time, alongwith dozens of family members and friends.
A trust for Jon's wife, Nikki, and their four children, Makana, Amber,Ariana, and Anela has been established to help them for the difficultjourney ahead. In addition, he is survived by his mother Julia, fatherReynaldo, and b nb rothers Allen, Chris, and Carlos. Jon Mozo'sphotographs can be viewed and prints can be ordered from www.JonMozo.com.
Donations can me made to:
The Jon Mozo Legacy Fund
c/o The Mozo's
P.O. Box 848
Hauula, HI 96717
Jon's smile will be missed by all.
There is a greater force, a higher power that must personally bediscovered and honored to close this great circle of life and obtaintrue peace.
- Jon Mozo, 2005
For sharing your life and love with us Jon, Mahalo, Mauruuru, Kia ora rawa atua kia kotua. Rest in peace. We will never forget you.