Our last swim with Charley

How often in our Masonic journey do we hear words and terms like brotherly love, relief, family of Masons, brotherhood? How often do we really stop and observe these Masonic sentiments in action? To sit quietly and watch as a group of people come together to socialize, celebrate, hold a meeting, or… attend a funeral?

How often do we really pause, take in the life and sights around us, and say, “This is what being a Mason means to me”.

Charles M. Guzman was a Mason in Hawaiian Lodge. I first met Charley in February 2002 when we initiated him as an Entered Apprentice Mason. We learned during that meeting that Charley was not in the best of health. He was suffering from diabetes, which over the course of the next 10 years would continue to worsen.

Charley was not a Past Master, nor did he ever enter the Officer line. Yet, health permitting, he was always at lodge, whether by friend, walking or handi-van, he would be there to sit and visit with the brothers. He attended as many of our social functions as he could, even when it became increasingly difficult to get around. Diabetes affected his eye sight early during the progression of the disease, yet he continued to attend lodge, often assisted by a friend or brother. You could tell he had trouble with facial recognition, but all you had to do was speak and he knew who you were. A smile would come to his face and he was ready to talk story or just listen. Charley never complained or wanted to discuss his own health situation. He was indeed a bright, knowledgeable individual who was a conversationalist and liked to socialize and visit.

On September 20th, Charles Guzman passed away. Hawaiian Lodge held a service on Friday, September 28th at the Hassinger Masonic Columbarium where we interned part of his cremated remains. It was here that most of us met his family for the first time -- his parents Vincent and Julie Guzman, his brother Gilbert, and his sister Diane. As we visited following the service, we could see a little of Charley in each of them, and could sense the love they had for him and one another.

Charley was also very fond of the Shriner’s Waimanalo Beach Park, where he often spent as much time as he could. During visits by his family, he would always take them out there for a day at the beach. On Sunday, September 30th, several Hawaiian Lodge Brothers gathered with the family at WBC to scatter the rest of Charley’s ashes. I was honored to take part in this scattering of his ashes. Brother Gilbert, his sister Diane, Worshipful Raymund Liongson and I, aided with a boogie board, placed his ashes on the board and swam the 100 yards out to sea as his parents and the rest of the Hawaiian Lodge Brothers watched from the beach club.

How often do we really pause, take in the life and sights around us, and say, “This is what being a Mason means to me”.

Following our return to the beach, we sat with light refreshments and visited. I watched as this family and Hawaiian Lodge brothers, who just a few short days before had been total strangers, talked, laughed and socialized like we had known one another for years, 10 years to be exact. From the day we initiated Charles M. Guzman as a brother Mason, we had also became a family with his. With sincerity, love and affection, we joined with this family and shared ourselves, as Masons.