It was standing-room only — with an overflow in a separate room — at First Assembly of God in Red Hill on Saturday.
The attendance — more than 1,000 people were there, with a line to visit the family twisting through the church, down the stairs and through the parking lot — was a testament to the life of Zachary Manago, an 18-year-old recent graduate of Moanalua High School with an 800-watt smile who loved baseball, cycling and God.
He was killed in a hit-and-run on Dec. 17, as he rode a stretch of Kamehameha Highway near Wheeler Air Force Army Airfield with about 35 other cyclists. It happened at 11:10 p.m. Zachary was struck from behind by a white SUV. He was thrown from his bike and was later pronounced dead at Wahiawa General Hospital.
He was just a few weeks from starting baseball practice at Hawaii Pacific University, where he was recruited to pitch. It was his dream to be a professional baseball player — a dream that was dashed in an instant.
His uncle delivered the eulogy. I’m sure he never thought he’d be talking at his nephew’s funeral.
And Zachary’s two friends — still teenagers — spoke, too, calling him a true friend, a peacemaker and “the nicest guy I ever met.”
I wondered how this could happen. How could a young, healthy, friendly, goodhearted 18-year-old with so much potential, with so much to give in this world, be struck down so suddenly by a driver too cowardly to stop to help? (A 25-year-old Mililani man was later arrested.) Why do these things happen — not just to an 18-year-old, but to anyone?
Death is what makes life precious, it’s what should be driving us to live. Because at any moment, it can happen. To anyone. Death is equal opportunity.
I stood in the back of the packed church, leaning against a counter that thankfully had a box of Kleenex, thinking about Zachary and how many people he — even in his death — has touched. He made me realize that life is fleeting, that if we don’t stop what we’re doing — stop chasing paychecks, stop holding grudges, stop complaining, stop being selfish, stop denying ourselves happiness — then what’s the point of living?
I’ve decided life is too short to worry about the laundry, to fret over buying a new computer, to complain about rush-hour traffic, to hate running, to postpone a lunch date with a friend, to watch TV instead of read a book.
Zachary knew that. And though he won’t be pitching for HPU or riding around town with his red backpack, he’s still there, in the backs of our minds, reminding us that life is worth living.
***
Remembering Zachary
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKmaW_BY7To
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To read all of Cat’s blogs, visit www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish. Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at [email protected].
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8 Comments
I found something more than interesting–your message is beyond awesome. We should laugh when we can, as much as is appropriate, because the biggest practical joke is that this life will end.
To Zachary–we thank you for your participation on this beautiful field we call earth.
I agree. Events of this weekend ( the shooting in Arizona ) make you realize how precious life is. Puts things in perspective. Our time here is short. Make the best of it.
This happened the night before i got home for vacation this past year, so i caught all of the coverage. to me, the message to young adults is that they are not bulletproof. while a round-the-island night time bike adventure sounds fun and exciting, it’s not the safest thing to undertake. dark, deserted roads (at the beginning of the holiday party season when people often drink/drive unsafely, no less) and a group of bikers who are no match, in a collision, for a car. a sad case all around.
no one escapes the body blows of life. we’ll never make sense of how the most precious gift can be so quickly and casually wasted. you’ve made the right choice, to concentrate on life and how it can be improved. let death be your advisor.
Cat, thank you for this, we need reminding once in a while of how precious our lives really are, and the only way we are reminded is when the good ones die young… If what I have read of Mr. Manago is true, then he is one of the good ones, and without a doubt, he died young… Perhaps we can sum it up in a few words that my grandpa used to tell me when I was little. “live so that when you die, people 100 years from now will say ‘now, THAT guy, knew how to live life.”
A good reminder that we should use the gift of each day for things that matter. It also reminds us that we should tell those we love that we love them, and we should say it more often. I refuse to do anything that I would regret having be the last thing that I did.
I can honestly say the funeral really impacted me in ways I didn’t expect. Which is why I’ve always liked funerals. I feel like it’s that reminder we are ALIVE and should do something with our lives. Make every moment count. Do the right thing. Be brave. Live. This is our only life and it could be over in a second.
We have a saying in our family that the worst time for a family reunion is at a funeral. We of course say the same about weddings. But the point is that people need to spend more time with each other rather than chasing illusions, things that don’t really make us happy. There is something about watching a friend get an award, watching your kids play sports, or helping someone ‘raise a barn’ that can’t be bought in stores. Sorry for everyone’s loss here, it hurts when people you admire and love leave. Just remember to spend more time with the people you care about and less time with people you’ll never meet… think about that a little while. Life is indeed short, but longer when shared with others.