Fred Lueckfeld, former president and CEO of Tori Richard, isn’t completely retired from business yet, thanks to the success of his bio-remediation company, Hawaiian Eco Systems. But it’s another part-time “job” that provides him with the most satisfaction these days — and Lueckfeld doesn’t make a dime from it, unless you count the smiles and hugs he gets from kids who come to visit.
Lueckfeld, 78, and Tami Masuda have transformed about 1,200 square feet of their apartment at One Waterfront Tower into an elaborate Christmas display with four different themes and a collection of Santa Claus figures. They’ve spent countless hours over the last 10 years conducting free tours for friends and the public in November and December.
During a single evening last week, the couple welcomed approximately 100 guests over the course of a few hours.
“I said, ‘You know what, we’ve got a ton of room up here.’ So I started in one corner and then went to another, and it just grew,” said Lueckfeld. “People will bring their kids and grandkids and take pictures, and that feels good. Living in an apartment building, some of these folks don’t get to experience something like this.”
Along with Santas, Lueckfeld has a collection of forest animals — “the kind that hang around in a wintertime setting,” he said — to go with silver and gold decorations and a toy train that circles a water feature in another corner of their living room. He keeps all of the items in storage until October, then spends about a month setting everything up.
“I have two boys, and they aren’t married and don’t have kids but it’s cool,” he said. “I’m still out here trying to make people happy. As long as I’m physically able to keep doing this, we’ll set it up every year.”
The decorations will be up through Dec. 31. Email him to schedule a visit, with priority given to children, at hawecosys@hawaii.rr.com.
“Possessed” is an occasional series featuring Hawaii residents and their unique or facinating collections. Tell us about your collection by calling 529-4766 or email jason@staradvertiser.com.