[Origionally posted March 22, 2013.]
Rest in Peace: Aunty Millie TeNgaio, 93, one of the Polynesian Cultural Center’s most beloved Maori kuia or tupuna — who along with her husband, the late Uncle Joe TeNgaio, were the first leaders of the PCC Maori Village from its opening in 1963 to 1968 — passed away peacefully on March 21, 2013, in Idaho Falls, Idaho, where she had been living for the past 10 years with her son, Kingi TeNgaio, and family.
From 1954 – 58 they served as Latter-day Saint labor missionaries in Temple View, Hamilton, New Zealand, during the construction of the Church College of New Zealand and the New Zealand Temple.
In June 1963 they were called to help open the Polynesian Cultural Center’s Maori Village. That same year they participated in the U.S. mainland promotional tour with Te Aroha Nui Maori, a group of former New Zealand labor missionaries and volunteers who helped put the finishing touches on the brand new Polynesian Cultural Center.
After completing their PCC assignment, the couple moved to Honolulu where Uncle Joe operated his own taxi tour business, while Aunty Millie taught kapa haka (traditional Māori songs and dances) in her own studio, and later worked in the fashion industry in Waikiki.
Many people might recognize Uncle Joe from his role as the counselor to Moke in the classic Latter-day Saint movie Johnny Lingo (that was filmed on location in Laie).
In the 1980s, the couple also served as BYU-Hawaii dorm parents at Hale 2. He passed away in 1987, and after that she lived in the Kahuku retirement village, frequently attending events at the Polynesian Cultural Center.
Kingi TeNgaio, a student worker at the PCC from 1963-65 who retired in 2005 after a career in automobile financing, said in her final hours, his mother sweetly described their time at the Cultural Center and in Hawaii as “most precious.”
Aunty Millie is survived by numerous grandchildren, great- and great-great grandchildren.
Aloha nuinui, Aunty Millie
