Lee Cataluna: Billy Kenoi Had His Say Once considered a candidate for governor or U.S. senator, Kenoi spent his last years on his own terms.
Two months ago, I interviewed Billy Kenoi by phone from his house in Volcano. He didn’t talk much about his health or about how much time he had left, but it was clear he was at a point where he was making the most of his days. He had decided to forgo any further medical treatment and was holding life with open hands.
“The last four years have been some of the best of my life,” he said, referring to the time after his term as Hawaii County mayor, the years in which he battled myelofibrosis, a rare blood cancer.
“I wasn’t running around trying to be everything to everybody. I got to see each of my three children graduate. My oldest son graduated from college and started a job. Takako and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary by getting married again. My children got to hear me say how much I love their mother, and I got to tell my wife how much I love her. It was priceless.”
