Colleen Marie Olof

PAHOA, Hawaii — Colleen Marie Olof, 66, was born on April 23, 1952, to Marilyn and Don Hult of Wausa, and died Sept. 11, 2018, in Pahoa, Hawaii, after a short battle with cancer. Family will gather in Hawaii Oct. 21, to remember and celebrate Colleen. All are invited to send up a prayer of gratitude and love. Colleen grew up in Wausa and traveled widely following her 1970 graduation from Wausa High School. When she reached Hawaii in her early 20s, the big island became her beloved home. From a childhood of waterskiing in Nebraska and Black Hills campouts and family trips to visit cousins in Oregon, she leapt into sailing adventures in the South Pacific and setting down roots in volcanic soil. During her marriage to Michael Merle, she gave birth to two sons. Colleen was proud of Michael Casey and Gabriel, and she loved her granddaughter, Tiana. She and Ted, her partner of 22 years, welcomed friends and family to their Hawaiian farm, a 5-acre piece of paradise. For every family event back in Nebraska, Colleen sent tropical flowers. Cali had a gift for creating beautiful things out of fabric and thread. Her Hawaiian name, Cali’ana, became her professional label as her seamstress skills grew into a livelihood. She designed and sewed swimsuits, silkscreened capes, and custom-made clothing. She embroidered intricate scenes of old Hawaii. Her artistic eye was especially suited to dollmaking. Cali had her mother’s sense of color and fashion, and her father’s sense of adventure. She was feisty like her Grandmother Wilma Frevert and tiny like her Grandmother Marie Anderson. Though only 98 pounds, Cali had a big laugh, strong opinions, and a free spirit. She loved the Honu, the Hawaiian green sea turtle. The dashboard of her Kia, which she regularly drove to see her boys and granddaughter, was filled with turtles. Cali’s car, like her home and gardens, was a work of art. She is survived by her sons, Michael Casey Merle (and Lilly), Waimea, Hawaii, and Gabriel Merle (and Jessica), Kawaihae, Hawaii; granddaughter, Tiana Merle, Waimea, Hawaii; partner Ted Philips, Pahoa, Hawaii; sister, Carol Hult (and Don Zimmerman), Kodiak, Alaska; brother David (and Kathy) Hult, Lincoln; sister, Diane Munter, Lincoln; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Don and Marilyn Hult; brother-in-law, Don Munter; and husband, David Olof