Retired police officer and longtime North Shore resident Simi Mapu was honored by his family and friends for his lifetime of service and love at the celebration of his life on March 15 at the Laie Hawaii North Stake Center.
“Everybody knows him,” said his son, Jimmy Mapu, at his service. “I know that you love him. I seems like everyone loved him.” He added, “I challenge anyone to measure their heart against my dad’s. Even though it’s not humble to say it – especially from the pulpit – I can’t think of another person’s whose heart is bigger than this man.”
Photos from Mapu’s life and the life of his family and fellow Honolulu Police Department officers lined the walls of the cultural hall and a large photo of him in uniform was posted at the front of the chapel along with flower displays. Mementos from his life were also displayed such as his HPD shields, Dallas Cowboys and University of Tennessee memorabilia, championships rings, and letters of commendation.
Members of his family and friends wore buttons with photos of Mapu on them. People filled the chairs in the cultural hall, on the stage and in other rooms in the stake center to accommodate all those who wished to pay their respects to him and his family.
His wife and eternal companion, Mary Ann Mapu said her husband had an enormous amount of love to share with people beyond their family. “Simi was not to be ours alone, but he was to be shared with the world,” she said. Mary Ann Mapu is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at BYU–Hawaii.
Jimmy Mapu said of his dad, “He loved to serve people… He was different in the best sense of the word. He was just different in the most loving way. I don’t know if there’s gonna be another like him.”
Son Jonathan Mapu urged those at the service to “strive to love as my dad did. Make this world a better place to live.”
Daughter Ane Mapu Salanoa talked about how her dad would never gossip. “Your name was safe in our house,” she said. “He was my best friend.”
Salanoa also talked about her dad’s love for his own mother making sure his mom was okay even more than his wife. But Mary Ann Mapu said she always knew she was second to Mama, but she didn’t mind it at all because while he loved and served everyone, Simi always came home to her and the family.
Family members spoke at Mapu’s celebration of life about the flood stories they were told about their husband and father since his passing a week earlier on March 8, 2019. Simi Mapu was born on Jan. 27, 1954 and passed away at the age of 65.
“We are overwhelmed the outpouring of love,” said Mary Ann Mapu, as people shared stories about their experiences with Simi throughout his lifetime. She said her husband loved the elderly and would stop and pick them up at bus stops and drive them home. He also loved the youth and children. “He had an affinity especially for children,” she said.
Speaking of her husband, she said while people will forget what others tell them, people will never forget how someone made them feel.
Jimmy Mapu said people told them stories of how their father pulled them over to ticket them but would let them go. Or he would arrest them, take them to McDonald’s and talk to them, and then drive them home.
“This guy single-handedly brought down the crime rates not because it was reduced,” he joked, “but because he didn’t arrest anyone.”
Simi Mapu’s daughter, Tasi Sandoval, said her dad told them he never gave a ticket when he thought he had a teaching moment, but he would “bust out the handcuffs” if he didn’t.
“He joked there would be a lot of criminals at his funeral,” she continued. However, she said her dad didn’t see anyone as a criminal - just people who had lost their way. Sandoval added he said it was easy to be a police officer because every person was a law-abiding citizen.
She said her dad praised his fellow officers for always having his back and helping him out of sticky situations over the years he was on the force. “He was proud to be a part of the HPD,” Sandoval said.
An escort of multiple police cars accompanied Mapu’s hearse from Honolulu to Laie for his services and then from the stake center to his burial in the Laie Cemetery. Fireworks were heard as the processional moved from the chapel to the cemetery. “To his brothers and sisters in blue,” said Mary Ann Mapu, “thank you for the honor you gave him this morning.”
Jimmy Mapu said his dad’s life changed in his 20s when he met his mom. “He always credited her for it. He said who he was and what he did was because of her.” He added during his life, his father also learned to love the Lord.
Mary Ann Mapu said her husband asked her to speak at his funeral and so she did. Starting off her comments she quoted Dr. Seuss saying, “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” She said she was smiling through her tears because she was blessed to have known him.
Saying they were complete opposites and wondering how in the world they ever got together with him always being center stage and boisterous and her quiet and staying behind the scenes, Mary Ann Mapu said their differences brought balance to their lives and in their family.
She also shared a dream she had where her son, Daniel, who passed away before her husband, came to pick up his dad when he died. “They embraced in each other’s arms,” she recalled, and as they started walking away, they turned around and gave a final wave. “Daniel is with his dad now,” she said.
Writer: LeeAnn Lambert