The children of one of the two victims of the Malifa bus crash say they've found peace and forgiveness in the memories and life lessons their late father imparted to them.

The late Faiisealofa Asaasa, 69, of Poutasi Falealili was laid to rest on Monday, following the arrival of some more of his children in the country after hearing of their father’s tragic death. 

He has seven children – some of them residents of the United States – who travelled to Samoa after hearing of his death early this month, hours after a Falealili bus owned by Laumoso’oi Transport Company lost control and crashed at Malifa. He was one of two deaths from the crash with the other passengers sustaining injuries. 

In an interview with Samoa Observer on Monday, his second eldest Siusiu Asaasa, spoke fondly of her father and the memories and lessons he's left behind for her and her siblings as well as their children. She said although the pain was difficult for them to bear, they forgave whoever was to blame for the bus mishap, as it is what their father would do.

“As far as for my dad, the last thing we're all kind of speechless of right now is, it was just so unexpected, but we're just grateful for the gospel and the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saint and the knowledge that we have that we know we will be with him again after this temporary life,” she said while fighting back tears. “My dad was loved by so many people.

"But I think one thing that we can remember which he had taught me and my siblings is the gospel to always centre our lives with Jesus Christ and that no matter what we go through here on earth, and if we just centre our lives with Jesus Christ then we will be okay.

“It’s easier said than done, this is the first trial in our family that someone close to us has passed but this is where our faith is tested. I know that with the love that I and my siblings have for each other and our mom, who’s still at home in America and couldn’t make it because she’s really sick.”

Due to their mother's health condition, the children have decided not to advise her of their father's passing, until they return to the U.S. after the burial. 

“She doesn’t know of the passing of my dad yet because we don’t want to tell her until we get home, just because we don’t want anything to happen to her while we’re out here,” Ms. Asaasa explained. “That’s one thing we’re dreading is to go back home to tell her the passing of our father which will probably break her heart.”

Asked about the life of her later father when he was alive, Ms. Asaasa said he was a family man as well as a God-fearing man. Despite living separate lives from their father while being in America, she said they always held his mentoring, life teachings as well and sacrifices for them close to their hearts, and they've always remained grateful.

Ms. Asaasa said she and the eldest of the siblings were born in American Samoa, but because she had a heart condition when she was younger, her parents had to take her to America for treatment where her younger siblings were born.

But their father was a family-oriented man who wanted to return to his family in Poutasi and serve his family.

“My dad sacrificed a lot for me and my siblings to live the life, the American dream in the U.S. and for us to come back here and see the kind of life that he lived, it’s very humbling but even though this thing was unexpected, I know that families are forever and we will be with him again,” Ms. Asaasa said. “I know this is just temporary, think the only thing is we’re really sad with the way of his passing.

"But we’re not sad that we won’t see him again because we know that this [life] is just temporary.”

Meanwhile, a relative of the deceased 69-year-old, who was with him on the bus that crashed early this month, delivered an emotional testimony at his family service on Monday.

She spoke about the elderly man's last words to her when the bus started to lose control when going downhill in Papauta. She said he wrapped his arms around her and told her to hold tight before the bus crashed.

The relative's testimony touched the Asaasa siblings who acknowledged that their father was a hero in his last minutes on earth before he died. She also urged the company of the Laumosooi and the bus driver to take this as a last lesson for such incidents as they heard it is not the first time.

“I just want that bus driver how much this has affected my family. My dad wasn’t supposed to die but because of someone’s negligence he passed away so it’s just something that we want the bus driver and the company and his family to think about because I heard this is not the first crash," she said.

“But did it take that bus crash to shatter that bus so now it no longer will take any other lives and so that my dad was not just a passenger on the bus but he was a grandfather to 17 grandkids, we’re all in the States. He wasn’t a random old man who was just sitting here, he had kids from America who were constantly taking care of him.”

The Asaasa siblings acknowledged the support of their families in Poutasi Falealili, American Samoa as well as those who travelled all the way from America to show their love and respect for their father.

“There were also random people who heard of the accident and sent their condolences, we’re really grateful for the love and support and we just hope that when we go back, my dad is happy with how his day went,” she added.

The father and grandfather's funeral and family service was held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Poutasi on Monday followed by his burial at his family home in the same village.