Alfred Cantorna
Lucy Peros | Photos courtesy the Cantorna ‘Ohana
Hāli‘imaile, Maui, Hawai‘i is a small quaint village on the slope of Haleakalā, a place our feet may leave but our hearts will always be. The late President Dwight D. Eisenhower even had this to say about living in a small town like Hāli‘imaile:
“For any American who had the great and priceless privilege of being raised in a small town, there remain always with him nostalgic memories of those days. And the older he grows the more he senses what he owed to the simple honesty, the neighborliness, the integrity that he saw all around him, in those days.”
Alfred Cantorna, this month’s featured Sakada Offspring is one of those privileged ones who was born and raised in Hāli‘imaile, together with his siblings. He was born at Maui Memorial Hospital in Wailuku. He attended St. Joseph Elementary (K–8), and Maui High School, (9–12, Hāmākua Poko/Kahului). He graduated from Maui Community College—now the University of Hawai‘i Maui College—from which he received his Associate Degrees in Liberal Arts, Business, and Early Childhood Education. He continued to the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Relations in Organizations.
Today, Alfred is currently retired. His past employment included eBay Retailer Collectibles, Employment Consultant at Employers Options, Program Coordinator at Goodwill Industries of Hawai‘i, Lead Ramp Agent at Island Air, Early Education Teacher at Ala Lani Preschool, forty years of experience in retail wholesale industries, and Supervisor/Experimental Aide/ Field Laborer at Maui Land and Pine. Alfred is also a Co-owner of Paradise Video.
Alfred is married to Dr. Virgie Dagdag Cantorna, Psy.D., a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. They have one daughter, Emily Cantorna, a Registered Nurse. She is a single mom with a 7-year-old son, Mateo.
Besides working, Alfred was very involved in the community. He volunteered in the Maui Academy of Performing Arts, Maui Choral Arts Association Board of Directors, Treasurer/member, Unity Church of Maui-Board of Directors, Treasurer, Community Action Circle, member and Maui Comic co-vendor/supporter.
Alfred’s hobbies are watching movies, keeping up with current events and sports, and reading graphic novels and comics.
Alfred has two sisters: Rosemary Himuro (children – Becky and Rolenn) and Jessie Harrington (husband Kevin and son Alex).
Alfred’s father, Felino Cantorna, and his grandfather, Aniceto Cabbab arrived in Hawai‘i in July 1928 from Nagbukel, Narvacan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines. They came by boat which took them two months to arrive in Hawai‘i. Aniceto suffered from an acute form of seasickness. Thank goodness, Felino was there to help him until they reached Hawai‘i. They both started working as field laborers at HC&S Company, Pā‘ia Division. It was called Maui Agricultural Company then. Felino was a cane cutter for two years. Aniceto was having a tough time getting used to life on the plantation and his heart was back in the Philippines. So Felino accompanied him back to the Philippines. Felino transferred to Maui Pineapple Company in Hāli‘imaile and as a single man, he lived in Pi‘iholo Camp. He planted and harvested pineapples. Later, he became a tractor driver. He operated the Bushwacker, a heavy machinery that turned old pineapple plants into mulch and then was plowed into the soil as a natural fertilizer. As a good son, Felino while working hard in the pineapple field, continued sending hard-earned money to his family in the Philippines to buy additional land for the family to farm. Everyone in Hāli‘imaile worked for Maui Pine Company. Felino retired from Maui Pine in 1975. He worked there for forty years.
Felino worked hard but also had some fun! He was an important member of the Melodies Orchestra of Hāli‘imaile. He played the saxophone. His band was also invited to perform on the West side. He even served with the Maui Volunteers as a private, Company M, 3rd Battalion, 1st Regiment, Pā‘ia, Maui Division. This was the forerunner of the present-day National Guard.
In 1954, Felino Cantorna returned to the Philippines to marry his wife, Esperanza “Ansing” Cabbab, Aniceto’s daughter. It was an arranged marriage. Esperanza arrived in Hawai‘i in 1955 on a Pan Am propeller plane. Before Esperanza arrived, Felino moved from Pi‘iholo Camp to a house in Hāli‘imaile Village where families lived. Soon the three Cantorna children were born, Alfred (1956), Rosemary (1958), and Jessie (1961). Esperanza was a stay-at-home mom until the fall of 1966 when Jessie, the youngest Cantorna child started school. But when they were on vacation, they needed a babysitter to watch them while their parents worked. Yours truly, Lucy Peros (Luz Cabalo at that time) enjoyed watching and playing with them. They were well-behaved children. It was a pleasure babysitting them.
Esperanza also worked at Maui Pine as a field laborer and eventually worked on the planting machine before she retired at age 62 after working for twenty-three years.
The following reflection on their parents is a collaboration of all three Cantorna offsprings, Alfred, Rosemary, and Jessie:
Both of our parents became U.S. citizens. We remember helping our mother study for her citizenship class. After passing their U.S. citizenship, both began petitioning their siblings from the Philippines. Most of our Dad’s relatives settled on O‘ahu. My Mom brought her younger sister Leoning to Maui. She lived with us for several years while also working at Maui Pine. Our parents were both hard workers to send the three of us to St. Joseph School.
Both our parents were lifelong learners. They attended the Community School for Adults at the Filipino Clubhouse at night with the help of their teachers, Mrs. Cirila Lobusta and Mrs. Pacita Rulloda. They learned English, Spelling, Reading, and Math. Both teachers were teachers from the Philippines and taught bilingual when they came to Hawai‘i.
Our parents would take us to Makawao town to attend mass at St. Joseph Church on Sundays. We enjoyed our stop at the Komoda Store to buy their delicious pastries and bread. We also made a stop at the Matsui Store for comics and at Kitada’s Kau Kau Corner to eat saimin. We remember our Dad used to take his kau kau tin to Kitada’s to buy saimin for us when we were sick. He also bought a ginger ale for us to drink to help us get well.
They took us to Baldwin Park, Rainbow Park Ho’okipa Park, Naska Beach Park, and Maui Pine Beach Park in Kīhei for picnics. Every payday Friday, our parents would take us to the Kahului Shopping Center under the Monkey Pod trees. That’s where you see everyone shopping. They treated us to dinner at either Dairy Queen or Barefoot Boy (fast food restaurants).
Another event our parents used to take us to was the Annual County Fair across Christ The King Church. We always enjoyed all the rides, the entertainment, and the food.
Our parents were very active members of the Filipino Catholic Club in Hāli‘imaile. At Christmas time there was always a Christmas party and the Nativity Scene in which we participated and played the part of some of the characters. It was always fun to receive a package of treats of hard candies, oranges and apples, nuts, and candy canes. Santa Claus coming in and singing carols were part of the joyous Christmas activities.
Alfred and Jessie stayed in Maui to live with their respective spouses and children and grandchildren while Rosemary moved to O‘ahu in August 1983 for a job promotion. She said it was a difficult transition at that time. O‘ahu, however, became her home for the past forty-two years. She raised her family there, her daughter Becky and son-in-law Ryan with their two children, Lincoln and Charlotte. Her son Rolenn and daughter-in-law Taylor live in Seattle, Washington, and are expecting their first baby (boy) in August 2025.
Lucy Peros is a retired schoolteacher, having taught at St. Anthony Grade School and Waihe‘e Elementary School. Both of her late parents, Elpidio Cachero Cabalo (a 1946 Sakada) and Alejandra Cabudoy Cabalo of Hāli‘imaile, worked for Maui Land and Pine Company. Lucy now enjoys retirement and has time to join other seniors in the Enhance Fitness Program under the Department of Aging three times a week. She also attends the line dancing class and other activities at Kaunoa and joins other Waihe‘e School retirees when help is needed at the school. Lucy also devotes some of her time to activities at Christ The King Catholic Church. She enjoys writing and reading in her spare time.