Hawaii said its final farewell to Mackey on Saturday, March 6, 1999 at Hawaiian Memorial
Park in Kaneohe. Hundreds of friends, family members and fans gathered to remember Mackey's
talent as a writer and musician and his lasting contribution to the Hawaii music scene.
Those attending witnessed a tribute by friends and family who lovingly poured their hearts
into a final memorialization of Mackey. Bandmate Gaylord Holomalia crafted a video depicting
various times in Mackey's life - beginning with scenes of backyard fun with his siblings, to scenes
from the early Kalapana days as well as Kalapana's 25th Anniversary Video. In between
were clips from tours, practice sessions and airports.
Marci Feary (Mackey's former wife and mother of
son Sebastian) contributed many photographs from her own collection, as
did Dancetta Kamai (Mackey's sister) who assembled a montage of cherished
memories. In it, we saw not the entertainer, but rather Mackey, the husband,
father, son and brother.
Many others shared their own special memories, reflecting on
friendships and associations that had been forged over the years. Radio personality
Brickwood Galuteria called Mackey "the Paul McCartney of our generation" and noted he was
the "cool, good-looking dude." Bandmates Kenji Sano cited Mackey's amazing ability for
writing and arranging songs in his head and reminisced on a relationship that transcended
the world of music: "He was like a brother to me," while Malani Bilyeu paid his own special
tribute with an acoustic version of "Nightbird".
At the end of the burial service, dark blue balloons bearing the words "Nightbird, fly on"
(Mackey's signature tune) were released as the crowd sang "Hawaii Aloha". One final
goodbye to a man whose spirit and legacy live on ...
The Feary family wishes to thank all who worked so hard to express the love they had
for Mackey as well as the hundreds who attended the funeral to bid him a heartfelt Aloha,
showed their support to the family and brought them comfort in knowing Mackey was dearly loved
by so many. Touched by the kind gestures extended to them and deeply appreciative
of the thoughtfulness of all, they wish to share this message of thanks from Mackey himself,
which appeared on the liner notes of his From The Heart album:.
This is a short note to wish you all, "God's Grace and Blessings."
Also to say a very heart-felt "Thank You To All" the wonderful people 'cause they
know who they are. Special thanks to the good Lord who brought us all together and kept
us safe, Life is so beautiful.
I'm greatly pleased that I've found favor enough to be able to express myself through
words and music. Oh...also a very big "Thank You To YOU," -- all my friends
whose love and respect I appreciate deeply. My songs are for you.
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