MEMORIAL FOR COREY VOSS IN KAHALUU
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Co-workers of Corey Voss, 41, embraced yesterday following a memorial held in Kahaluu for the Oahu Country Club food and beverage director. Voss was killed June 12 after a tour bus slammed into his sport utility vehicle.
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Voss spent life serving others
Family gathers to recall the man killed in a tour bus crash
About 75 people gathered at a crash site on Kamehameha Highway in Kahaluu yesterday to remember a man who spent his life serving others.
"He was a unique person who held a special place in each of our hearts," co-worker Glenn Nitta said about Corey Voss, who died June 12 after a Roberts Hawaii tour bus crossed the center line and crashed into his sport utility vehicle.
"Friendship was important to him and you all are proof of that," said Nitta, who had worked with Voss, 41, for eight years at the Oahu Country Club.
The group held hands and choked back tears during an impromptu service for Voss. His family was expected to hold a memorial service at the Lanikai Pavilion in Kailua near the boat ramp at 10 a.m. June 28.
Among those present at the Kamehameha Highway gathering were friends and co-workers and several Kahaluu residents who stepped out to help after hearing the crash.
FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Jade Au, left, and Solomon Kaonohi placed flowers at the site of the roadside memorial.
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"He spent his life serving others ... it's just not fair," former co-worker Loren Pippin said as he choked back tears during his remembrance. Several residents who didn't know Voss cried as they remembered the day of the accident.
"A bunch of us heard the crash and we all ran outside," said Charley Kaeo, who lives nearby. "I was the first one in the car. I moved the surfboard. His body was in shock, he was bleeding purple ... I knew what it meant, so I figured the best thing I could've done was pray with him ... I only met him for a moment, but I was sad to see him go."
Voss' younger brother, Jay, also shared memories with the group.
"It's like someone took a big chunk of my heart and ripped it out ... he was the only family I had here," said Jay, who grew up with him in Kailua.
Former co-workers at the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel and Mid-Pacific Country Club said Voss had a good sense of humor, supported them, and taught them about the business. But the best gift he gave them was teaching them how to be "caring, giving and forgiving."
"There were a lot of people looking for closure, a way to let their feelings out about what Corey meant for them ... this gave them a chance to do it, out loud or quietly," Oahu Country Club catering manager Terry Travens said.
Co-workers had originally planned to hold a celebration today for Voss' eighth anniversary with the club, where he worked before accepting a management position at the Embassy Suites hotel in Waikiki now under construction.
"Since his resignation a couple weeks ago, so many people stopped by the club to let him know how much they were going to miss him," said Voss' co-worker Reiko Yasutomi. "So it is with some comfort that Corey left us knowing how much he was loved and respected and how much we would all miss him."
After the ceremony, a group of his co-workers dined at one of Voss' favorite restaurants in Kaneohe, where they enjoyed some of his favorite dishes. "He would not want us to carry the burden of sadness," Pippin said. "He would want us to reflect on the happy times."
Sgt. Lorenzo Ridela of the Honolulu Police Department's vehicular homicide section said Voss' case is pending investigation while police interview witnesses.