HERB CAMPOS / 1934-2003
Civil servant lived
to help the publicHe had two Maui fire stations built
during his 1985-90 tenure as chief
Former Maui Fire Chief Herb Campos always put others before himself, his wife said.
"When you knew Herb, you had a friend for life," said Leilani Campos.
Campos died Tuesday at the Maui Memorial Medical Center. He was 2 1/2 months shy of celebrating his 50th wedding anniversary. Campos was 68 years old.
Born and raised in Kailua, Campos graduated from St. Louis High School in 1953.
His first job was with the Dairyman's Association on Oahu, where he delivered milk in Kailua. Later, he worked for the Hawaiian Dredging Construction Co. for 10 years before he joined the Honolulu Fire Department in 1963.
Campos transferred to the Maui Fire Department in 1971 and was appointed fire chief in 1985. He was instrumental in getting Maui's first ladder truck and expanding the department with the construction of the Kahului and Napili fire stations.
"He loved the Fire Department," said Leilani Campos, adding that he came from a line of firefighters. Many of his uncles and cousins as well as his hanai grandfather were firefighters. "It was a tradition."
"He was a very gregarious, happy person," said interim Deputy Chief Alan Cordeiro. "He paved the way to make it easier for the department to grow and expand."
Campos retired from the Maui Fire Department in 1990, but that did not slow him.
"He was always on the go," said Leilani Campos. "He was a workaholic and a talkaholic. He always gave more than 100 percent from the time he started his first job 60 years ago."
In 1998 he became Maui branch manager for the Hawaii Medical Service Association. Campos was appointed as a trustee for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs following the death of trustee Abraham Aiona. He lost the election to fill the Maui seat for a full term. Campos also ran unsuccessfully for the Maui County Council.
He belonged to various organizations such as Papa Ola Lokahi, Hui No Ke Ola Pono, the American Cancer Society and the Boy Scouts.
Campos' legacy continues in his grandchildren. Leilani Campos said her grandson, Ikaika, recently took a test to become a firefighter for the Maui Fire Department. "He wants to be a fireman like his pops."
Campos is also survived by sons Paul, Herbert and Michael; daughter Helen Pahukoa; brother Patrick; sisters Marialena Meyer and Haunani Olds; 11 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Services are pending.