Mr. Virginio “Gene” Correa Aguiar, Jr., 70, of Ninole, Hawaii, died at the Hillside Care Manor in Portland, Oregon, on Nov. 26, 2012. He was born in Laupahoehoe, Hawaii in 1942, and was the owner of American Pacific Inc. – Intl. (Ampac), Agee Inc. and A&A Trucking. He founded the American Cowboy Team Roping Assoc (ACTRA) in Hawaii and served on the national board.
He also co-founded the Hawaii High School Rodeo Assn., Hawaii Horse Owner’s Association and was a member of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Papaikou. He was an avid team roper and worked to promote the sport through the United States Team Roping Championships Association (USTRC) in the state of Hawaii. He loved the sport of rodeo and enjoyed helping others to become involved, especially kids.
He is survived by his wife, Phyllis Aguiar of Ninole; sons, Shawn (Cherice) Aguiar of Tehachapi, Calif. and Kevin (Kuuipo) Aguiar of Ninole; daughters Linnea (Herb Botelho) Aguiar of Hilo, Hawaii, Aletia (Matt) Brown of Scappoose, Ore. and Andrea Aguiar of Paradise Park, Hawaii; sister Miriam Aguiar of Rowlett, Texas; aunt Agnes Lemos of San Leandro, Calif.; 19 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.