Wallace “Wally” Amos, 88, founder of Famous Amos cookies, died Tuesday in his Makiki home due to complications from dementia.

Born in Tallahassee, Fla., in 1936, Amos was best known for founding Famous Amos cookies, which first opened in Hollywood, Calif., in 1975 and later expanded nationally and internationally.

According to a statement released by his four children, “Famous Amos was a great American success story and a source of Black pride.” They described him as a “true original Black American hero.”

Amos, who was stationed in the Air Force in Hawaii from 1954 to 1957, developed a deep affection for the islands. Although he requested to be discharged in Hawaii, his request was not accepted, so he eventually relocated to Hawaii on his own.

In 1977, he moved to Hawaii with his then-girlfriend, Christine Harris Amos, who later became his wife and the mother of their daughter, Sarah Amos.

Sarah Amos, 40, told the Honolulu Star- Advertiser that Wally and Christine initially lived briefly in Kailua before settling in Lanikai, where they spent the majority of their time and raised her.

“He was extremely well known across the island for driving a pickup truck painted with cookies and watermelons,” Amos said. “Everyone, at least in Kailua, could recognize it from a mile away as Wally’s car.”

Sarah and Shawn Amos, 56, Amos’ third son, said that their father loved playing the kazoo, walking on beaches, snorkeling at Pupukea, and especially loved Kahuku watermelons and mangoes.

“He would literally go to any neighbor’s house and everyone in our area knew that if you had good mangoes, he would always be happy to take them,” Sarah Amos said.

Wally Amos was also known for wearing colorful clothing and Panama hats, particularly a watermelon-patterned Panama hat.

Sarah explained that the hat was a gag gift from her grandmother before Wally’s surgery, given his love for watermelons, and he ended up wearing it for the rest of his life.

“Hawaii was truly one of my father’s deepest and greatest loves,” Amos said. “There was no place in the world where he felt more peace and happiness than in Hawaii. It is a magical place, and that’s how he always described it to the world.”

She said that wherever her father traveled, he would always encourage people to visit them in Hawaii. As a result, they often had visitors from all over the world show up because “Dad had invited them.”

Sarah also said that Wally was very involved in various community efforts, including advocating for literacy, supporting the YMCA of Honolulu and participating in the Unity Church of Hawaii.

Carol Amos, 78, Wally’s wife, said they met at the Unity Church in Diamond Head in January 2016, after being match-made by the church’s reverend, and were married a month later.

Carol and Wally lived in Waikiki for a few months before permanently moving to Makiki.

“He had this burning desire for everyone to be able to read and always advocated for parents to read to their children for at least 10 minutes a day from the moment they are born,” Carol said.

Shawn Amos said that his father was a high school dropout but had always worked hard in other ways despite cutting his education short, and encouraged his children to pursue education and made sure they all went to good schools.

“Education is fundamental and he didn’t want kids to take it for granted like he did in his former years,” Shawn said.

State Sen. Chris Lee (D, Kailua-Waimanalo-Hawaii Kai) described Wally as a “fixture in the community for a very long time and for generations before that.”

“He was someone who, with good fortune and success, always tried to give back and empower others,” Lee said. “You’d see him out in the community over time, usually in his trademark clothes and hats. He was one of those bright lights.”

Amos is survived by his wife; four children, Gregory, Michael, Shawn and Sarah; seven grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

“I know that in his later years, he was deeply grateful to be in Hawaii with his wife, Carol,” Sarah Amos said. “There was no place he would have rather spent his last days than with her in Hawaii.”