KAILUA-KONA — A public celebration of life will be held Saturday for veteran Hawaii Fire Department Capt. David Alan Mahon, 49, who was killed last week in a three-car crash on Mamalahoa Highway.
Mahon’s family and friends invite the community to a service that will open at 2 p.m. with a reception at the ballroom Sheraton Kona Resort and Spa at Keauhou Bay.
Before the celebration, the Fire Department will hold a last alarm at 1 p.m. At approximately 1:15, a vehicle procession will commence from the Kailua-Kona Fire Station, down Palani Road, continuing onto Alii Drive to the Sheraton.
At 5:30 p.m., Fair Wind Cruises will depart Keauhou Bay for a scattering of Mahon’s ashes in the waters off the Kona Coast. To reserve a spot on the vessel, if available, call Kyle at (808) 960-1756.
From 6 to 7 p.m., a service will be held at Lyman’s at Holualoa Bay. Those unable to get on the boat are encouraged to head to Lyman’s with a surfboard or stand-up paddleboard (SUP). The family asks attendees to bring loose flowers to drop in the water. The celebration of life will come to a close about 7:30 p.m.
Mahon, an 18-year veteran of the Hawaii Fire Department, died May 22 after the motorcycle he was riding colliding head-on with an SUV driven by a 21-year-old Christopher Raymond Helmlinger, of Waimea. Helmlinger has been charged with manslaughter and second-degree negligent homicide in connection with the crash near mile marker 14, in the vicinity of the North Kona-South Kohala boundary.
Police say Helmlinger was overtaking several southbound vehicles in a no-passing zone at the time of the morning crash. A third vehicle, a white Jeep Grand Cherokee, was also involved in the wreck. Neither Helmlinger nor the driver of the Jeep required medical attention.
Helmlinger is free on $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing has been set for June 17.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page set up on Friday to support Mahon’s 10-year-old son, Dylan, has raised thousands of dollars in just over five days.
“Dylan’s Future Fund — In Loving Memory of Dave Mahon” as of 1:50 p.m. Wednesday had raised over $15,900 of its $25,000 goal.
Info: www.gofundme.com/dylan039s-future-fundin-loving-memory-of-dave-mahon.
