A truly beautiful soul. Always caring about others more than yourself. You were always giving of unconditional love. You will always hold a special part in my heart. It was a true privilege and honor to have you in my life.

We had so many fun times. Meeting Stan Lee at your very first Comicon, marathon movie weekends with our favorite popcorn extra butter with mochi crunch (even movies in Las Vegas). One of my favorite memories was when just the two of us stayed out late and went to karaoke at Alley Katz until midnight.

I will miss our special conversations about life and everything going on in both of our lives. There are so many private special moments I have that I will cherish forever.

Thank you, my forever bestie, for allowing me the privilege of sharing all our special moments... forever and always until we meet again.

— Arlette ‘Arts” Dickson

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I met Ron during his interview with Marchon eyewear. We were work friends and through traveling to the neighor islands or Guam, we became close like brother and sister. I can hear his laughter as I’m writing this.

Even though I moved from the Honolulu to San Francisco, I looked forward to his yearly visits to the city and my yearly visit home. He always made sure I was taken care of… I know he isn’t here physically but I feel his presence daily.

Till we meet again, love your big sister.

— Stephanie Chan

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Both Ron and I joined the Hawaiian Telcom family in 2019. We were in different departments but I had the precious opportunity to meet Ron during his first week at Hawaiian Telcom. Little did I know at that time, how much I would not only get to know Ron personally, but also rely on his knowledge and experience in real estate, in order to do my job.

Within the next months, Ron has never ceased to make me smile. And when in person, he always managed to make me laugh—and I mean LAUGH. He’d have me laughing out loud in our Bishop St. building…and imagine this… in an area that is as quiet as the UH Hamilton library, surrounded by employees quietly, and diligently, working at their desks.

As with all departments--ours were no exception—both Ron and I were tasked with cleaning up and purging old, ancient files of our departments’. I found stacks and stacks of boxes full of documents that needed to go to Ron’s department to be sorted out. I thought, “Oh boy, he’s not going to be happy about this,” as anybody’s reaction would be.

But to my surprise, there were so many boxes, an insane amount of paperwork to sort through, but Ron managed to make me laugh about that too!! As I unloaded boxes and boxes, almost barricading him at his desk, I felt so bad unloading these files on him, but Ron being Ron, he knew I felt bad and made me laugh…again. And he gladly, professionally, accepted the boxes that surrounded him.

That’s the kind of co-worker Ron was. He was a team player, always lighting up your day, always appreciating your presence, and always made you feel special. And that’s a few of countless ways that made him very special. It’s an art, you know, to be able to do that, especially in the workplace. And Ron did it so effortlessly.

Hawaiian Telcom misses you, Ron. And I sorely miss you.

Love you always.

— Jennifer Hill

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Koji and family,

My deepest condolences. I held onto so much hope that Ron would pull through and I’m so sadden by his passing. I didn’t know him for very long but it seemed like we were life long friends. He was an extreme blessing when he entered my life as I dealt with cancer for the past 2 years and Ron was my biggest cheerleader of which I will be forever grateful beyond words can express.

You were all so fierce in handling all that Ron dealt with and I offer my heartfelt praise for being there for each other. My prayers are with you.

In love and light.

— Gwen Massaiah

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A message of sympathy from Pohai from Hawaii Electric Light Co. (HELCO)

She worked with Ron while employed at Hawaiian Telcom and was thankful for the wonderful conversations that they were able to share and all the laughs.

— Pohai Kelson

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The brightest smile A cheerful and infectious laugh The most Outstanding and sparkling Personality A most generous heart and a non-judgements nature. This is how we all know and love our Ron.

An extraordinary and loving son A caring and affectionate brother, a great companion, sweetest nephew fun loving cousin, exceptional uncle, and wonderful friend. This is our Ron.

Even through his 5 years of illness he persevered without complaint… he continued to work, he traveled, he counseled those in need, he gave of himself… and still with a smile, his laughter, his lovingness, and all with a grateful heart… that is our Ron. Today, In honor and in celebration, of Ronald Patrick Gose… I’d like for us to stand and give a toast… to you, our Ron… you will always hold a special space in our hearts, you will always be a part of us… we will always love you… we miss you dearly… So until we meet again… in that great big party in the sky… Cheers to you. A very special tribute to my favorite nephew.

Love,

— Your Favorite Aunt

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Thereʻs not much that can be said about Ron that you probably donʻt already know. Although he battled cancer, with his positive attitude and sense of humor, you never wouldʻve known. He would come in to the salon with a big smile and a “HEY BEAUTIFUL!” greeting with a big hug. Thatʻs one of the things I miss the most about him.

I remember him saying he stays positive and strong “cause das how I roll”…canʻt you just hear him saying that??? We had such fun conversations, and Ron was never one to shy away from my inquisitive questions about his treatments and life with cancer. He always spoke so matter-of-factly, and never seemed uncomfortable or made me feel uncomfortable with hard conversations.

He had the greatest hair, even when it started falling out, he was really self conscious, but he never lost all of it and still rocked it. Iʻm going to miss his e-mojis with his text messages, the conversations we had and the way he always made me feel like family. I miss you Ron.

— Tiffany Nakada

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I have many good memories of my brother Ron.  

We knew him as Ronald…which seems weird now. The aunts and uncles would call him “Boysie” or “Ronald boy”. 

Ron was the “smart one”.  He even spoke differently. You just knew he was intelligent.  Ron was on the debate team! I don’t know what kid would want to do that?! …but I was very proud of him. He was also pretty sociable. He could pick up a conversation with anyone and got along with most people.

Ron had a great sense of humor. Put he and Cheryl together and they’d gang up on the me, the youngest of the bunch. Let me tell you those 2 were rascal! Once they dared me to run naked to the backyard. And like a gullible 4 year old, I did.  That was a quick lesson for me…never to listen to your siblings.   My Grandma Gose lived in the back house and she was coming down the stairs.  I can still hear her now saying “ Hala! I goin’ tell your mommy”  That was devastating for a little kid to hear.  Til this day that story still makes me laugh and cringe at the same time. 

You’d think I’d learn my lesson, right? Nope.  When I was 6, the terror twins struck again. They dared me to lick Cheryl’s big toe.  I swear that toe was covered with dirt. Luckily, I didn’t get hand foot, mouth disease. There was this time Ron and Cheryl were teasing and egging me on. I was mad that I cussed them out, yelling like no 8 year old should. Of course this was blackmail material for them.  So, naive to fall for their taunting.  It doesn’t stop there. 

We were latch key kids during the summer.  My dad’s a carpenter and he had this lumber in the house.  So, the older kids had this great idea to play circus. They balanced the lumber on my mom’s new leather couch!  All 3 of them taking turns walking up and down the lumber.  Then, I decide I wanna try. What do you think happened?  The couch ripped! My mom was so upset.  And those loving sibling of mine, threw me under the bus. They never spoke up once for me. How’s those guys?  but I have to say that I enjoy that story bc I loved hearing Ron re-tell it when we’d get together.

He was a good brother.  It was me and him for 2 years taking karate at Highlands Intermediate. We had this thing about jumping jacks when we warmed up. Either he or I would pass pass (phrrt, phrrt, phrrt) …of course not on purpose, but it would just come out. Fun times.

Idk if some of you are old enough but there was this show called Dance Fever in the late ‘70s.  He was Denny Terrio and I was his partner. We’d do disco dancing in the parlor every Wednesday night before Charlie’s Angels. We thought we were pretty good! We probably weren’t. haha.

There was a lot of time I missed in his 20s to mid 30s.  He was doing his own thing and we didn’t see him much.  However, when he met Koji, things changed.  Ron changed a great deal and became so mature and genuinely cared about our welfare.  I find this is so incredible because it means people can change for the better if they really want to.  He, also, quit smoking…which isn’t an easy thing to do. To me this exemplifies self-discipline and determination! Not everyone has it.

Ron has another side to him.  As an outsider, I enjoyed watching him interact with the multitude of wonderful family and friends at their gatherings. It’s nice to see a different side of him.  Even their TV with the slide show of family pics running, paints good times. 

Our kids love going to Ron & Koji’s place.  They treated our kids like they were their own.  Incredibly generous and never asking anything in return. 

Ron & Koji even came to both Sarah and Gabby’s college graduation in 2018 & 2019.  I didn’t know until after Ron’s passing, that the traveling was difficult for him but he didn’t want anybody to know. He was so very proud of his nieces that he wanted to be there and enjoy and embrace the moment.  Ron fought like heck against the “C” word as he put it.  He had such great hope. He fought the good fight. Then, finally, surrendered to God.  

God did cure his cancer and took away his pain. Unfortunately, it ended with us not having him physically. I’m happy he’s no longer suffering yet saddened that I won’t see my brother for awhile.  But I know he’s with us, present for all the memories in the making.  He’s our angel now. 

Love you, Ron.

— Carol Gosé-Pascual

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I am Berna Kaai, aka Mrs. Kaai to many of you. I have known Koji for many years, a dear friend and he always says I’m one of his mentors, but likewise I've learned many things from him too.

When I met Ron, I could see that they both loved & cared about each other and both so happy. From all the memories I've seen, it indicates a beautiful & strong relationship. So, thank you Ron for being there & a awesome person.

Koji, may all the loving memories ease your loss of Ron & bring you comfort. Ron will always be with you & your special angel. Aloha Ron for being the best thing & still for our dear Koji. Thank you & we love you dearly. Mrs. Kaai...... Love ya!

— Berna “Mrs. Kaai”

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Although I do not have any one memorable moment to share, I'd like to share my view of Ron through my lens.

Ron was game to jump in and on something that was fun and meaningful. I think he really came ALIVE to show his CREATIVE juices when Koji was involved.

Ron was generous with his wicked sense of humor despite the work required to ensure the "rocket" took off in flying colors. LAUGHING, humorously jabbing and sometimes posing as a CLOWN was his signature that he was ALL IN !

He may have gotten an "You're so IRRAS" glance from Koji BUT Ron kept on rolling ... keeping his fun loving nature at the forefront of making things fun fabulous in rallying all who came together to help.

HE WAS LIVELY WITTY SUNNY and pleasantly NAUGHTY by NATURE at times.

His infectious laugh and stop you in your tracks POSES were PRICELESS !

Overall if Ron was present FUN TIMES were to be ROLLING and ROLLING HARD.

As a family man... well Ron took care... He stood in the gap.

He faced the uncertain let downs. He handled the stressful challenges with courage and Ron showed to be the BIGGER person we would all want to exemplify, instead of showing the gorilla confrontation we could have easily launched.

For his family he gave 1000% as we all remember him to be. 1000% not 100%.

I can't remember a single time that Ron showed pettiness, "less than ness" or small mindedness. He was HUGE in LOVE, HUGE in CARING and GARGANTUAN IN LOYALTY.

Ron leaves ALL OF US with his legacy of KINDNESS no matter what. GRACE despite the struggles and SERENITY to overcome and MOVE FORWARD knowing he cared and loved you, loved us.

Ron we hold you in our hearts ... holding the torch you left us to be good to one another. Your LIGHT shines forever in us because you gave us 1000%. Much love and Aloha Ron. Amen.

— Monica “Ewalani” Bernardino

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Going to miss my dear friend. We worked together at Bank of Hawaii. My husband (Rex) was stationed there for 10 years. He always called me Ms. Thang. As you know I called him Mr. Dawg.

He was a true friend. Koji, take it one day at a time. God will get you through these difficult days.

— Linda Wilson

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I worked with Ron at Coldwell Banker. I cannot believe that Ron passed away. He was always talking about you. Ron was the best and the sweetest person. I really appreciated all his help and wonderful work. I always remember his smiling face. I really regret that I did not get a chance to talk to him recently. I should’ve helped him more.

Thank you for understanding. However it was too soon for him to go. He gave a lot of love to everyone. He was very nice. He enjoyed his life with you so much.

— Iku Honda

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When I think of Ron, I think of a quote by Maya Angelou. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you’ve said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

This is why Ron has affected so many people and why we are all here. He blessed our lives in some way and made us feel happy.

Ron had amazing people skills. He was someone people wanted to be around. Our conversations would always revolve around what I was up to or how I was doing because Ron was always enthusiastic of others. He always made me feel appreciated and valued.

He was also very good at including others. When we would go to dinner with Koji and my wife, Heather, I would typically talk to Koji about work or the latest automotive news. Ron would always steer the conversation to include Heather. As my wife knows I get very carried away with certain topics. I appreciate that Ron would always put in the effort to include Heather. From Ron, I’ve learned to be more conscious to include others.

Ron is the type of person who puts others first. He make us feel good and for that I will always remember him. Thank you, Ron.

 — Matthew Ogoshi

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I'm sure we've met in passing before this but it was this one evening we were outside of Koji's office after a long work day, meeting for the first time.

We shared our love for travel among other things and I was filled with excitement listening to your travel stories. I knew then that you were one, cool human being.

We hadn't known each other for years and years but yet hanging out with you was so comfortable and always fun. I will forever remember all the good times we had.

GREAT times. So much laughing that my face hurt. That FIVE hour dinner walking around Waikiki making new friends with employees at luxury boutiques... posing for pies while kissing fish statues... the very last time I saw you and I accidentally broke your glasses trying to fix it. Sorry! So many more memories but you already know.

Time is fleeting but sometimes it stands still. Like in this moment. When you've lost someone who added so much positivity and vibrance to the lives of people who were lucky enough to cross paths with them. You just want to marinate in the memories.

That was you, Ron.

 Sorry I didn't know how to make this funny. I wish I would've had a good joke or something. You would've liked that.

Anyway, I just want to say thank you so much for your friendship and all the laughs.

Cheers to good times!

— <3 Rena

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In 1988, Ron suggested, kind of randomly, that we should travel to New Zealand.  I said, “Sure - let’s go!”  We scraped together as much money as we could and flew to Auckland.  We were supposed to be gone a couple of months.  We ended up on an adventure that took us from New Zealand, to Australia, to Bali, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.  We didn’t return to Hawaii until 1990.

Along the way, Ron charmed and enchanted everyone he met, whether new friends we met in New Zealand and Australia, or elderly villagers in Bali, or shopkeepers and street vendors in Thailand. People were instantly attracted to his smile and his fun-loving spirit.  

When we returned and he started working at the Bank of Hawaii, he continued to attract people to him, and made many lifelong friends there, and wherever he went. 

Ron and I ultimately took separate paths, but we remained close friends.  Koji’s friends quickly became enamored of Ron.  People loved him.  He had that impact on everyone he met.  Ron was that rare soul who could brighten anyone’s day, and he brought joy to so many lives, mine included.

I will always treasure all the memories of our time together, and always remember Ron’s smile.

Love always,

— Steven Lum

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The Ron I knew….

There’s something to be said about a person who truly optimized the phrase, “non-judge mental.” Everyone who had the great honor of knowing him can agree that Ron had a very unique way of getting to know your soul and not just the person. This is a very rare quality.

Another amazing quality of Ron’s was his sincerity. Like Koji, He was always giving of himself, ensuring that those close to him were taken care of before caring for himself. The present day world could use a lot more people like this.

Friends, these are just two of the many examples why I cherish Ron in my memories and in my heart.

Ron— take flight and enjoy your wings. You’ve earned them!

— Christopher Boteilho

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"I’m sorry Koji that I can’t attend. I will remember Ron for being a generous and kind person and who could also sing;-) Wish you all the light and hugs during this challenging time"

— Mark Dayao

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Dearest Ron,

Thank you for all you’ve done for me and my brats (as you would refer them as) . Now who am I suppose to call when I need a reference letter….. even when I needed it done in a weeks notice, somehow you found the time to get it done. You were admired and loved by many, especially Koji. I’ve never seen him so happy in life since my Mom left us. We both wished you were able to have met her.

I will miss our annual San Fran trips. But I told Koji we need to go back and you’ll be right along side us making fun of all the unique people there.

You are missed by many and your memories you made with everyone you have met will be forever remembered. You wouldn’t believe how many lives you have touched and made an impact towards. You were an inspiration to many.

We all miss and love you so much! Please continue to watch over us especially Koji.

Love you,

— Ray

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