ANTONIO RECLUSADO VELASCO / BARTENDER

Popular barkeep was
a shoulder to cry on

Businessman, vet Kawakami
More obituaries

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By Pat Gee
Star-Bulletin

Antonio Reclusado Velasco, called "Tommy," was a bartender, but to his customers he was more a psychologist, moneylender and the proverbial shoulder to cry on.

But the barkeep of Hawaii's most popular watering holes was also a "classy" gentleman, devoted husband and father, and a good provider to his extended family, says his widow, the former Rumelia Flores.

He was buried on his 42nd wedding anniversary, May 30, at the age of 86. Velasco was suddenly taken ill at their Pearl City home and died of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage on his way to Kapiolani Medical Center at Pali Momi on May 22, his wife said.

Velasco's real name was Tony, but he was given the moniker Tommy by Tony Tavares, owner of the renowned famous Palm Tree Inn in Waikiki, who did not want two Tonys in the place.

Velasco mixed drinks for 31 years at the Palm Tree, then owned and operated the Zebra Room for 18 years, his wife said. He tried to retire but was "such a good bartender with the gift of gab, humor and wit" that he was called to work at Sparky's Bar, Ross' Spare Room and the Blue Seas, she said.

Although many of his customers poured out their troubles to him, they knew their secrets were safe with him, she said. He befriended homeless people, giving them money for food; paid for many a cab ride home for a customer who had too much to drink; and lent money to friends who were having a hard time, Rumelia Velasco said.

Entertainers, television personalities and news reporters would be among the regular customers who became his friends, she said.

Russ Lynch, Star-Bulletin business writer, said: "Tommy was a charming host who presided over a diverse bunch of bar clientele over the years, from the drink-starved guys who would scratch at the door of Sparky's on Kapiolani before its 6 a.m. opening, to the troubled souls who sought his advice and counsel toward the end of the day.

"He had so many years running bars that he knew all the tricks and wrinkles. I'll always remember his standard answer to anyone calling in to find out if a husband, wife, boyfriend or girlfriend was on the premises. 'Most any time now' was his stock reply, regardless of whether the person was standing in front of him or hadn't been seen for days."

Once known to island radio listeners as the "Songbird of the Philippines" in the 1950s, Rumelia Velasco won the hearts of lonely Filipino sugar plantation workers and turned down many a marriage proposal. But it was Velasco, a successful businessman and "very classy gentleman" at the age of 44 who won her hand. He called her "Princess" and promised her father he would work hard to make his daughter happy, she recalled, adding, "He really delivered the goods."

He is survived by son "Tony Boy," daughters Rumelia Cortez and Adelaida Severson, and two grandchildren.