Obituary: Bruce William Kalei O'Hawaii Wallwork (1942-2026)

Eighty-four years of rhythm, iron, and aloha came to a close when Bruce William Kalei O’Hawaii Wallwork passed away peacefully in Kailua, Hawai i, on August 27, 2026, according to an obituary published on Legacy.com by O’ahu Mortuary.

Born in Honolulu on January 14, 1942, Wallwork grew up in Waimanalo as the fifth of ten children born to Margaret Keliihuluhulu Petersen and Ralph Aylett Wallwork.

An athletic youth who lettered in football and track at St. Louis High School, he eventually ventured to the mainland on a football scholarship from the University of Montana, becoming the first Hawaiian football recruit to come to UM and remain for the full four-year college experience.

That journey to Missoula sparked a nearly six-decade life in Montana where Wallwork worked as a railroad gandy dancer, earned a master’s degree in education, and built a legacy as a rhythm and blues musician performing with bands like the TNTs, Phase One, Sweet Smoke, and Smoke. He also established Wallwork’s Gym and served as the University of Montana’s first strength and conditioning coach.

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He married Susan Selig in September 1964, whom he affectionately called his “blue-eyed blonde from Kailua.” Eventually, the couple wound down their businesses in Montana and returned to O’ahu to be close to their daughters, Kaipolani Wallwork Fake and Ke ala Wallwork, and their grandchildren.

A celebration of life is scheduled for Friday, November 27, 2026, at St. George Catholic Church in Waimanalo, featuring visitation at 9:30 a.m., a eulogy at 10:30 a.m., and a funeral mass at 11:00 a.m.

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