Fund Formed 4 Oakland Angels

by Ted Hardy

By this time, most have you have already heard the sad story of the tragic car accident that claimed the lives of David Moa, Soasi Moa, Malia Moa, and Rachel Fisi'iahi and severely injured Hunter Halatoa. The group of friends were on their way back to Oakland after going to the Las Vegas Sevens Tournament last weekend. The pain and anguish is being experienced across the rugby community, but nowhere remotely as much as in Oakland.

Of the four deceased, two were former Oakland Warthog players. Soasi "George" Moa and David "Momo" Moa both played on the Warthog's 2011 Championship squad. Another killed in the accident was Rachel Fisi'iahi who played for the Alameda Riptide in 2010-2011. The lone survivor of the accident, Hunter Halatoa is a current Warthog player.

Funeral Services are expected to be held on the weekend of 2/23/13. Details will be made public as they become available. Please keep an eye on the 4 Oakland Angels Facebook page for updates. 

There will also be a benefit concert fundraiser for the families. Four of the five passengers were part of the band Valufa, a good reggae genre band who made friends with all of the artists in which they crossed paths. Many of those artists are paying tribute by playing a benefit concert on Saturday, March 2, 2013 in Oakland. More information to follow.

 

A fund has also been set up to help raise funds to help the grieving families with the funeral and hospital costs. The fund was set up by Oakland Warthog head coach Ryan Burke. They are hoping to raise $75K to assist the families and are reaching out to the rugby community for help and support.

 

The fund was set up yesterday afternoon and has already received over $4K in donations. In this time of great tragedy, this is where the rugby community has an opportunity to show that we are all one big family. These are not words to be muttered lightly, but a bond that all of us share.

 

Please consider donating to the 4 Oakland Angels. Even the smallest donation matters. Donate individually or as a club and please spread the word. To donate, please follow this link to the 4 Oakland Angels page at GoFundMe.

 

More information about the young men and women that were lost in the accident.

David "Momo" Moa

8 Man for the Oakland Warthogs 2011 NCYRA Varsity Silver Division Championship Team, son of David Moa of the Oakland Barbarians Men's Team. David Moa was a great kid and teammate that always showed up to practice and loved playing sports and being a part of a team. He was a load to bring down. He was often quiet although he was a singer in his family band Valufa. He was often quiet with a serious look on his face, so it was always a joy to get him to smile. He was attending and playing football at Laney College.

Soasi "George" Moa

Tight Head Prop for the Oakland Warthogs 2011 NCYRA Varsity Silver Division Championship Team, son of Lani Moa of the Oakland Barbarians Men's Team. He was a joy to have around and always showed up on game day to compete for most meters after contact as well as broken tackles. He became more committed as the season went along and played a big part of us being a championship team. He was always good about cracking a joke at the right time and getting teammates to laugh and smile.

Rachel Fisi'iahi

Played front row for the Alameda Riptide team in the 2010-11 season. She always came ready to play, and her sense of humor and kindness were beloved by many both on and off the field. Rachel was always willing to put in extra work and time, and it showed on the field with her bruising runs. Rachel graduated from Oakland High School in 2011 and was a student at CCSF. She will be missed greatly by the Alameda Rugby family.

Malia Moa

David Moa's youngest sister who played the keyboard in the band Valufa. She was just like older brother, except not so quiet. She was fun to be around and wanted everybody to be happy and have a good time. She could be found cheering at every rugby game that David played in. She was a Senior at Castlemont High School, in Oakland.