Man killed by infection honored as a 'great connector' of people

Friends and family of Oliver Brandt Johnson wanted to paddle out to scatter flowers into the usually blue waters of Waimanalo Bay to say their aloha from the beach he enjoyed with friends.

Instead, the 75 people who traveled here yesterday to pay their respects remained on the white sand, at the edge of an ocean that looked murky grayish brown from runoff and possibly sewage that spilled recently.

They threw fistfuls of green, purple and white orchids and colorful leis into the water at Waimanalo State Beach Park. When a larger wave caught them by the ankles, many screamed and ran for drier ground.

"Deliver us from the pollution," Father G, a minister, prayed. "Refresh and renew the Ala Wai Canal."

While they celebrated Johnson's life yesterday, many of them remembered the way he died.

Johnson was killed by a severe bacterial infection after falling into the polluted waters of the Ala Wai Boat Harbor last month. The harbor was contaminated with raw sewage. His body was severely swollen, and his left leg had to be amputated.

The 34-year-old mortgage loan officer died Thursday at the Queen's Medical Center of multisystem organ failure caused by an infection of the blood due to a bacterial infection of his foot injuries, the Medical Examiner's Office said. Alcoholic liver disease also contributed to his death, it said. Homicide police are investigating the case and how he ended up in the water.

Some of his friends have criticized the city's decision to divert almost 50 million gallons of raw sewage into the Ala Wai Canal after a force main broke March 24. But yesterday, they set some of those feelings aside to remember the man they called a "connector" of people.

"A lot of us would not have known each other if it weren't for Oliver," friend Zoe Dela Cruz said during the service. "He was a great, great connector."

"Wherever he went, he pretty much had a friend," said brother John, 39. "He's a fun guy to be around," he said while looking at a collection of photos of him with friends and family.

"He was such a great personality, someone you could get along with easily," said James Hewett, a close friend and co-worker. "He's a caring, compassionate person, especially if he considered you a friend."

Friend Dieter Giblin recalled how Johnson would lift him up when he was down after a divorce.

"I can't say if I was his best friend, but he was definitely my best friend," Giblin said.

Born in Mount Airy, N.C., Johnson grew up in Boca Raton, Fla., where he learned to surf. Johnson's surfer friends were among those who mourned his loss.

During the service, his surfboard was planted in the sand with a maile, pikake and ilima lei draped over it. Later, friends hung more leis and sprinkled orchid blossoms around it.

Surfer Pono Wong recalled thinking, "Who's this haole guy?" when Johnson showed up at his surf spot "Bowls" on the South Shore, a "tough place to crash." But Johnson won him and others over, smiling a lot, without an attitude, letting others take waves.

"He showed more of Christ's love than I did," said Wong, an assistant pastor at Hope Chapel.

Johnson, called a momma's boy by friends, was the youngest son of Friederike Boszko. She said he liked adventure and loved Hawaii, where he made so many friends.

"I'm so grateful that you showed him your love," Boszko told the crowd, many of whom were by his bedside during his last days.

She last saw her youngest son during Christmas at home in Boca Raton, when "he gave me this," she said, displaying a three-diamond necklace she wore.

Francesca Milla told the story of how Johnson, whom she called Bubba, tried to save a baby bird by feeding it noodles "because it was the closest thing to worms I have," he told her.

"Bubba, I love you. Now you can take care of all the birds you want," she said.

Johnson is also survived by father Leonard L. Johnson Sr. and brother Leonard Jr.