Amongst the battle of this world wide pandemic, we suffered the loss of our dearest friend Archie Poki.
From his loving wife Deb Poki:
Archie Poki was born in Honolulu, and grew up in Ewa Beach. He was the second oldest in a family of 10.
He loved his work as an electrician. He took it so seriously that he felt he needed to protect his fellow workers thru safety, that way they could return home to their families after a hard days work. He became certified as an electrical safety instructor and taught classes at the IBEW hall.
Archie was also a pastor at the Assembly of God Church. He adored his 3 children and 6 grandchildren, spending as much time with the ‘ohana as possible. We shared the love of the ocean, bodyboarding, SUP, surfing, diving and beach clean ups. He fulfilled 80 hours of beach clean ups over the past three years.
Archie loved to travel as well. He wanted to turn bowls in his retirement and was preparing his work shop for a lathe.
Archie and I first came to AccesSurf when my cousin Candy became involved in 2011. As the months went on Arch formed a bond with participants and volunteers alike. He helped with water transfers until his accident in 2017. After that Archie mostly came down to talk and enjoy the friendships he had forged with many, pass out snacks, tell jokes, and to help or harass (?) us at the t-shirt tent. Archie loved first Saturday of the month. He couldn’t wait for the Covid restrictions to be finished. His face would light up when talking about his experiences and friendships with AccesSurf. Every chance he got he would share the stoke with a stranger or anyone else that may be interested in his AccesSurf Ohana.
