Taufa Moala Alusa's Obituary
Taufa Moala Alusa peacefully passed away at 10:45pm on Sunday, March 30, 2014 at Stanford Medical Hospital in Palo Alto. He was surrounded by a few of his children and family members.He loved to fix anything that had an engine! Without any formal education or training, he taught himself how to repair automobiles. Of course, there were times (many times) that he would fix something then another problem would pop up. We sometimes thought he did it on purpose just so he could work on it some more. Luckily, he didn’t charge anything or else people would sue him.But it’s funny how his own cars were immaculately well maintained.Taufa was “one of a kind” and so was his sense of humor! If anyone spoke harsh to him, he would just laugh it off. He had a handsome smile.“He loved to joke around, ” said his son, Malachi. His son recalls when he was a kid, the traffic lights were out as they were driving in Salt Lake City. He innocently asked his dad what happened and his dad replied, “All the birds ate the colors off the lights.” Unfortunately, his kids believed him and have been scared of birds ever since. (just kidding)His niece, Mele Alusa, recalls childhood memories of her uncle. “He had a love for style…Taufa’s style, that is. To him, he dressed to impress, just like his chili green colored car (the thought of those velvet dices hanging from his rear view mirror still makes me laugh!). He always had a comb in his pocket and drowned himself in his Old Spice cologne. He thought he was “THE” business before leaving the house but I wanted to tell him that Old Spice is outta business! He needed a new scent. Never a dull moment with Uncle Taufa because he was the color in the family and he will be missed.”Taufa’s daughter, Flora remembers the day she argued with her brother, Malachi, over a piece of paper. Their father quickly scolded them. She recalls, “My dad took it away and said that it was making us kids forget about each other. He said that one day they are going to die (he an my mom) and we only had each other.”Malachi explains, “He would look at my sisters and say, ‘You girls have to take care of your brothers.’ Then he would look at us boys and say, ‘You boys have to take care of your sisters.’ ”“The one think my dad never question was his belief in the gospel,” his children explained. “He taught us never to stray from the gospel because the church is true and Jesus was the head of it.” Of all things, Taufa could’ve left behind, this was the most valuable…his testimony.As we gathered around Taufa’s bedside to spend his last few hours on Earth, we realized nothing in life mattered but those who are by your side at the end of the race. May we learn to give more of ourselves and love others unconditionally.With love, Alusa Family
What’s your fondest memory of Taufa?
What’s a lesson you learned from Taufa?
Share a story where Taufa's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Taufa you’ll never forget.
How did Taufa make you smile?