Melissa Joy Perez
Lucy Peros | Photos courtesy Perez ‘Ohana
Tradition is not the past we remember but the values we carry forward with pride. The family traditions of this month’s featured Sakada Offspring, Melissa Joy Perez are very important to them.
Melissa Perez was born in May 1978 on Maui, Hawai‘i. She attended Lihikai Elementary, Maui Waena Intermediate and St. Anthony High School. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Oregon State University and her Masters in Teaching also from Oregon State University. She is presently employed by the Department of Education as an English Language Learner Complex Area Teacher for District Office. She is a member of the School Community Council at Pu‘u Kukui Elementary School. She enjoys watching her son A.J. play baseball, spending time with her family and traveling with her family.
Melissa is married to Dr. Alfred Perez. He received his BA in Liberal Arts and MA in Interdisciplinary Studies (Education, Spanish, Ethnic Studies) from Oregon State University. He received his PhD in Curriculum Instruction from the University of Hawai‘i at Mänoa. They have a son, AJ Perez, a 5th grader at Pu‘u Kukui Elementary.
Melissa’s brother, Jason Peros received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Las Vegas. He is now employed by Southwest Airlines. His wife, Cecilia Peros is an RN in Trauma Critical Care, VA Hospital in Reno, Nevada. They have two children, Marley and Nyree Peros. Marley is a US Army Lieutenant, RN. Nyree is studying Biochemistry at the University of Las Vegas.
Melissa’s maternal grandfather, Quirino Obrero Paet was one of the thousands of Sakadas recruited by the Hawai‘i Sugar Planters Association to come to Hawai‘i to work in the pineapple and sugar cane plantations in January 1946. He was from Taleb, Bantay, Ilocos Sur, Philippines. He left the Philippines via Port Salomague in Cabugao, Ilocos Sur on board the S.S. Maunawili. He left behind his young wife Lucia, who was with child, son James and hänai daughter, Teresita Marinas. Part of the recruited Sakadas’ contract was a free round-trip ticket back to the Philippines which they were able to use anytime.
In May 1946, Lucia, Teresita, James, and their newly born, Precila joined Quirino in Hawai‘i. They were one of the very few families that lived in the camp among the single men.
Quirino worked at the Pu‘unënë Mill at the crystallization of molasses department for twenty-two years. After twenty-two years, he decided to work for the Pacific Construction Company. Following that, he worked at the Kä‘anapali Golf Course where he helped to plant the grass while they were building the Kä‘anapali Beach Resort Hotel. At the same time, he owned a yard maintenance company as his side job. Lastly, he worked for Maui Sunset as a grounds keeper and retired from there due to medical reasons. Unfortunately, Quirino passed away on August 9, 1992.
The Paets raised and slaughtered their own animals for their own consumption. In those days, there were no restrictions. They raised their own vegetables in their own backyards. They were self-sufficient. The Paets were blessed with thirteen ambitious community-oriented children. Precila, the third oldest child is Melissa’s mother.
Quirino and Lucia Paet believed and favored Catholic education for their thirteen children. They all attended Christ The King School and all graduated from St. Anthony High School. To defray the cost of their tuition, they did odds and ends at the schools, e.g., clean the classrooms, the cafeteria, the bathrooms, etc. With the understanding of all the children, Quirino and Lucia set up a family tradition in which they sent their older children to college and in turn after they graduated and found a job, they would help the parents support the younger ones so they could also receive a college education. They did just that.
The Paets also had another family tradition. Every Christmas, they all gathered as a family including those who lived on the other islands or on the mainland and cooked lechon (roast pig) as their main dish. They also created their own family activities when they were together.
When Monsignor Osmundo Calip (founder of the Filipino Catholic Club), came to evangelize the Filipinos here on Maui specifically the Sakadas so they wouldn’t forget their Catholic faith, Quirino and Lucia with other Sakadas took him around the camps to remind them to go to church and to not forget their loved ones back home in the Philippines. In 1950, Monsignor Calip formed the Filipino Catholic Club.
Melissa Perez lovingly said the following about her grandparents, Quirino and Lucia Paet: When I think about my grandparents, the first word that comes to mind is loving. Grandma and Grandpa were the kind of people who made everyone feel welcomed and cared for. Some of my favorite memories are the summers I spent with my cousins while they babysat us. Those days were simple, full of laughter, and filled with moments that I now realize were incredibly special.
Grandpa was definitely more on the strict side but his love always showed through his actions. He would take my cousins and me to the Noda Store and buy us ice cream, a small treat that felt like the biggest reward at the time. We would all pile into the back of his small Toyota truck. Looking back, it probably wasn’t the safest idea but it’s a memory that makes me smile every time I think about it. He also took us to the beach, where he would sit on the shore watching over us as we swam in the ocean, always quietly making sure we were safe.
Since Grandpa worked at the golf course, he had a putting green in the front of his house. We spent hours there playing golf, turning ordinary days into something fun and memorable. Those moments taught me that love doesn’t always have to be spoken, sometimes it’s shown through time spent together.
Christmas at my grandparents’ house was one of the most meaningful traditions our family shared. Every year after midnight mass, everyone would gather at Grandma and Grandpa’s home to open presents.
The living room would be filled from wall to wall with gifts, laughter and love. But celebration went far beyond presents. Early every Christmas morning, my grandpa would roast a pig (lechon) and from beginning to end it was a family effort. Everyone had to wake up early to help, from slaughtering and cleaning the pig to preparing the fire and slowly roasting it. As a child, watching this process taught me how important it was to work together as a family. When the lechon was finally brought out of the fire, it felt like a reward not just for the work we had done but for the togetherness we shared. Looking back now, I realize how much joy these traditions brought my grandparents. With twelve children, family meant everything to them, and bringing everyone together to work, to celebrate, and to share a meal was what made Christmas truly special.
Looking back now, I understand that what my grandparents gave us was far greater than memories. They gave us a sense of family belonging, a place where love was constant, and a reminder that family should always come first. You take care of your family. Through every tradition, every gathering, and every quiet moment, Grandma and Grandpa built a foundation that continues to hold our family together. Though they are no longer physically here, their love is still present the way we gather, the way we care for one another, and the way we honor family. Their legacy lives on through generations, and I carry it with me in my heart every day. I am forever thankful for the love they shared, the sacrifices they made, and the family they created, a gift that time can never take away.
Lucy Peros is a retired schoolteacher, having taught at St. Anthony Grade School and Waihe‘e Elementary School. Her late parents, Elpidio Cachero Cabalo (a 1946 Sakada) and Alejandra Cabudoy Cabalo both worked for Maui Land and Pine Company. Lucy enjoys being with other retirees in the Enhance Fitness Program under the Department of Aging three times a week. Whenever she can, she joins other Waihe‘e School retirees when help is needed at the school. Lucy also devotes some of her time as Lector and choir member at both Christ The King Catholic Church in Kahului and St. Ann Catholic Church in Waihe‘e. She enjoys being with her granddaughters after school. She also enjoys writing, reading and gardening in her spare time.