Ada (Dale) Waki Nahoopii
January 17, 1959 - July 1, 2024
“The River ran its
allotted span,
till it reached the
shining sea.”
Ada Dale (Waki) Nahoopii was born on January 17, 1959, in Lexington, Kentucky. Weighing just four pounds at birth, her innate tenacity to survive became her lifelong superpower.
To escape an abusive marriage, Ada’s mother took her and her three siblings as far from the South as possible—Hawai‘i.
Her mother remarried a kind and gentle Hawaiian man, and Ada was enrolled in Catholic school, where she developed a deep faith—along with a penchant for juvenile mischief.
Each night, Ada would kneel beside her bed, hands clasped in prayer, apologizing to God for her sins.
Memories of Ada live on in conversations. “She was tough, funny, but good-hearted,” former classmates recall.
In 1974, the family relocated to Washington State. There, Ada began to thrive. Her intense brown eyes often spoke louder than her words. She blossomed into a strong and beautiful young woman.
Photos from those years reveal her deep love for animals. She often brought home strays and cooked for her dogs. Friday nights meant burgers, fries, and ice cream—shared with her beloved hounds. For Ada, people were complicated—dogs were simple and loyal. They were her best friends.
To those who knew her, Ada yearned to be understood and loved. Psychology 101 teaches us to love ourselves first—but Ada was selfless, often at her own expense.
She also knew how to create distance from those who hurt her. With dark humor and sharp wit, she could hold her ground.
At eighteen, she began working as a parts runner at Boeing in Everett, Washington. Her tenacity paid off—by twenty-four, she purchased her first home in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle.
In her late twenties, she met and married Roger P. Knutson. Together they faced many challenges—financial hardship, mental health struggles, and eventually, addiction.
In the 1970s, diagnoses like ADHD or autism were rarely considered. Some suffer quietly with symptoms like disillusionment, hyper-vigilance, and a deep sense of inadequacy. Ada coped in her own way, but isolation eventually followed.
After her husband’s death from cirrhosis, Ada’s own health declined. Within months, she succumbed to the same illness.
Ada Dale (Waki) Nahoopii took her final breath on July 1, 2024, in Lynnwood, Washington—with both her heart and body broken, but never her spirit.
She is remembered as a sister to Robert, Susan, Helen, Maureen, and Crystal; a daughter to Sam and Betty Nahoopii; a wife to Roger Knutson; and an aunt to Numia, Evan, Lisa, Robbie, DJ, and Malia.
Our family offers deep thanks to Mary Pahlman of Lynnwood, Washington, whose friendship and care surrounded Ada in her final days.
Everyone has a destiny.
This was Ada Dale (Waki) Nahoopii-Knutson’s.