Abel Pellegrino passes away at 18

Abel Pellegrino, 18, died from a fall on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014, in Honolulu on the campus of the University of Hawaii Manoa where he was starting his sophomore year. He was the beloved son of the late Anthony Pellegrino and Eileen Olapei Pellegrino.

Born in Hawaii and raised on Saipan, Abel attended Whispering Palms School, the Calvary Christian Academy, and was a 2013 graduate of Saipan International School. He excelled at forensics, and as the Saipan representative of the humorous interpretation category, he participated in the National Forensics League competition in Indianapolis in 2012. He enjoyed playing soccer and volleyball, and participating in the Saipan Paddling Club.

Music was Abel Pellegrino’s passion and he nearly always had a guitar in hand. (Contributed Photo)

Abel is remembered as a friendly, encouraging, and popular young man with an exceptional singing voice. Music was his passion. He began his professional vocal career on Saipan as a performer on sunset dinner cruises. His joyful, confident voice was heard at his graduation, local birthday parties, the annual Flame Tree Arts Festival, and the Thursday Street Market. Starting in his freshman year at college, he was a volunteer DJ at KTUH-FM, Honolulu’s student-run alternative music station.

KTUH’s general manager, Paige Okamura, trained Abel as a DJ and recalled him as someone she “knew would go on to do great things at KTUH. He was so eager to learn and grow and discover new music.”

In addition to his university studies, Abel was also studying audio engineering at Honolulu Community College. Inspired by his father to passionately pursue whatever he loved doing, Abel looked forward to a career in the recording industry.

The sudden death of this promising, enthusiastic young man brings shock and grief to his large loving family, and to his even larger circle of friends on Saipan, and, literally, around the world. He had more than 1,100 friends on Facebook. Words cannot express their sense of shock and loss. Hundreds of people are asking themselves the question “How could his fine sweet song end so soon?”

Abel is survived by his mother Mila Pellegrino, his sisters Miki and Prunella, his brother Julian, and numerous loving aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, and cousins.

His funeral is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2014, on Saipan. Mass is at 10am at the Kristo Rai Church in Garapan. A viewing will be held at the Cabrera Funeral Home in the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 23. He will be buried at Sanctuario Cemetery in Kagman. (PR)