Remembering M. Gay Conklin
HTMC member M. Gay Conklin passed away on 31 March 2024 at the age of 97. Gay was a retired attorney and judge in the 1990’s and also advised the HTMC board. She also performed trailside wedding ceremonies for at least three HTMC couples, all who are still married today. They kindly shared their wedding day memories below.
Jim & Beverley
Gay performed the wedding ceremony for Beverley and me on HTMC’s scheduled Waimano Hike on November 15, 1981. We even had a large Chinese Wedding Cookie which we cut with a machete for our guest hikers at the ceremony. That’s where the ceremony took place. Great memories! Left to right in photo below: Sandra Shimabukuro (now Sanidad) (witness), Beverley Haylett (now Yuen) (bride), Ian Cooke (father figure), Gay Conklin (officiating judge), Wayne Ching (witness), Jim Yuen (groom). If you’d like to look for our ceremony location next to the tree in the photo, from the start of Waimano Trail shortly past the tunnels on the left below, continue to where you ascend and connect to the actual contour trail. Turn right onto the contour trail and look for a small clearing on the right side, it is probably less than 100 feet.
Don & Janice
Gay Conklin worked with us to write our wedding ceremony ahead of time, and then she performed the formalities at the first stream crossing on the Maunawili Falls trail. We had our reception at the HTMC Clubhouse, and Gay was there. Janice’s parents were the entertainment. Her dad sang and her mom told riddles and jokes. That was in April 1997, 27 years ago. Chris Walker, producer of the “Let’s Go Hiking” show filmed the whole event. We still watch our wedding video at least once a year on our anniversary. Gay was wonderful.
Stuart: Gay married Lynne and me on top of Koko Crater on January 1, 1997 during the club hike. I had borrowed a prayer book from St Andrews Cathedral, and Lynne and I drew up our ceremony from that. Gay then sat down with us and suggested some changes, which were fine with us. The ceremony went perfectly, but afterward Gay remarked that she hoped there weren’t going to be any more HTMC weddings on narrow ridge hikes! – Stuart
Lynne: My two boys and their spouses made the climb up Koko Crater. My daughter was in Japan at that time teaching Japanese students English, so she couldn’t make it. I had told my two boys that it was an easy hike, meaning SHORT, not knowing that my daughter-in-law was afraid of heights, so we exited into Koko Crater Botanical Garden. At the time, we didn’t go down on the stairs and going through the rifle range. Stuart and I will make 27 years of marriage. We made many memories; the most challenging climb was Kilimanjiro.
Additional photos from Lynne and Stuarts Wedding above. We were so fortunate to have two photographers, Joyce Oka and John Hoover taking such beautiful photos so we can always remember that special day. Left photo: Charlotte Yamane surprised us sprinkling flower petals being our “flower girl.” Right photo: Mabel Kekina and Gay Conklin at the wedding.
CLICK HERE to read M. Gay Conklin’s Obituary in the Honolulu Star Advertiser published on April 21, 2024.