Longtime dance director Benny Agbayani Sr. dies at 82

Benny Agbayani Sr. liked dancing and observed it as a way to fulfill and hook up with people today from all walks of life. He served as dance director of the Hawaii Ballroom Dance Affiliation for just about 25 years.

Agbayani died Dec. 27 at the age of 82.

A retired Coastline Guard housing manager stationed at Pink Hill, Agbayani and wife Faith joined the dance association in 1979. After Agbayani took over to helm the association in 1998, Religion mentioned, ballroom dancing took up a lot of their time. But which is the way they
liked it.

“It was an encounter that we actually relished collectively,” stated Faith, the association’s affiliate dance director. “I often had this passion for dancing, and so I asked him if we could go down and sign-up. He tried out to often make me delighted.”

Agbayani grew up in Waiawa and graduated with his GED from Aiea Superior School. The pair married in 1971 and lifted a few boys: Lanny, Brendyn and Benny Jr., a expert baseball participant.

He was a incredibly involved
father, Faith said. He coached the boys’ sporting activities teams developing up and was there to help them at their game titles and college things to do as they bought more mature.

When the boys were being more mature, Religion stated, she and her spouse experienced a lot of added time. So, they picked up bowling and then ballroom dancing. Benny utilised to bowl a best 300-stage game at Aiea Bowl, she said.

Religion mentioned Benny did not originally want to join the ballroom dance association, and he even waited outside the door when the few went to check out a class. He informed Religion he did not believe he could dance. But his outgoing personality took over, she mentioned. He liked to discuss to people today and meet other dancers, together with lots of of the Filipino customers who joined when the dance association expanded to the West side. Agbayani’s mother and father immigrated to Hawaii from Illocos Norte, a Philippine province.

The few won various countrywide gold, silver and bronze awards for their dancing. But Religion explained the finest part of dancing was investing time together and staying element of the dance association’s relatives.

In addition to his wife, Agbayani is survived by their 3 sons brothers William, Pedro, Alfred and James “Jaime” Agbayani four grandsons and four granddaughters.

Agbayani’s family members will keep a celebration of existence
Jan. 28 at Borthwick Mortuary. Visitation will be at
10 a.m. and the provider at
11 a.m. A burial will comply with at 2 p.m. at Hawaiian Memorial Park.