Elia Kanoe Nawahine

Another resident who lived in Iosepa was Cecelia Nawahine (w) (1869-1910), a young women born in Hawai‘i on June 19, 1869. She was the wife of John Palikapu Nawahine, Sr. (k) (1867-1923). John was the son of Nohomakalae Nawahine (k) and Kaniniuokalani Powahilani (w) (1831-1878). They met and married in Hawai‘i in 1889. Cecelia is mentioned in an article that ran in the Desert Evening News on Wednesday, August 28, 1907, pertaining to the Pioneer Day celebration that took place in Iosepa that year. Within the article it is mentioned that she traveled; by invitation, to Iosepa for the celebrations to take place. Here within, her name is spelled Cecilia; a more common spelling than what she herself used (Cecelia).

In October of the same year, they had a son, John Nawahine, Jr. (k). In July of 1891, they had a daughter, Caroline Nawahine (w). In 1897 they would come to Iosepa. Thirteen years later on August 4, 1910, Cecelia would pass in Iosepa and be buried in the towns cemetery where her gravestone can still be found today.

In 1945, Cecelia's gravestone was found to have developed a crack that caused the top to fall from the remainder of the marker. It was kindly repaired to its present state. A photograph taken of the gravestone on November 4, 1945, shows it to be tapered at the top and brought to a point. It also was made of a stone that was more white than the now grey color that over 100 years of weather has brought out.