WAHIAWA — It was the kind of morning Richard "Nobu" Murakami, an avid fisherman, looked forward to.

Murakami, 81, got into his 1992 white Toyota pickup yesterday and headed from his Wahiawa home to Hale'iwa Boat Harbor.

He was a little over a mile past the Pa'ala'a Uka Pupukea Road intersection when a 1998 brown Ford Ranger pickup headed toward Wahiawa drifted into his lane, according to police.

The vehicles collided head-on at 6:56 a.m. near the "coffee grove" on a two-lane stretch of Kamehameha Highway.

Murakami died at Wahiawa General Hospital at 7:47 a.m. The 30-year-old driver of the other truck was in critical condition at The Queen's Medical Center, said police, who have opened a negligent homicide investigation.

Murakami was the sixth person killed in three O'ahu traffic accidents since Sunday, raising O'ahu's 2006 traffic death count to 36, compared to 27 on the same date last year.

Murakami grew up in Waialua, the second-eldest of 12 children whose parents came from Japan to work in the sugar fields. His large extended family has deep roots in Wahiawa, Hale'iwa and Waialua.

Terry Murakami, a Honolulu police officer assigned to the Wahiawa patrol district, said his father was blessed with good health and enjoyed fishing and hunting.

"For him to go like this is so sad," Murakami said. "It's devastating because he was so fit."

Terry Murakami said his father was on his way to Hale'iwa because a friend was returning from an overnight fishing trip and his father wanted to see what he had caught. His father also wanted to check on his 38-foot fishing boat, Mura Maru, that's moored there.

"He had a lot of friends down there," said Murakami, who added that his father and friends met daily at the McDonald's restaurant in Hale'iwa to talk story.

News of Murakami's death was felt by many, especially at the Wahiawa police station, where he had several relatives.

Among them was Officer Jerry Scoville, whose wife is the daughter of Murakami's late brother, Hide.

"He was known for being very generous, a caring person always willing to lend a hand," Scoville said. "I know my wife and her family really appreciated how he supported them after (Hide) died."

Maj. Michael Thomas, Wahiawa district commander, said many in the community are saddened. "That's what you have in rural areas," Thomas said. "It's all family, not only by blood but with friends working and being together who know someone related."

The roadway has no barrier separating two-way traffic, but that doesn't cause collisions such as the one that killed Murakami yesterday, Thomas said.

"It's the driver who determines what's going to happen," he said. "When we say drive responsibly, it's not about what you want to do, but to be cognizant about other people."

Gary Murakami, the eldest of four sons, said his father loved fishing, hunting and sports.

He and his father hunted last month on Lana'i and were going sheep hunting in Kona in a few days, said Gary Murakami, who said his father enjoyed sharing stories with old friends.

A favorite story, Murakami recalled, involved a fishing trip off Turtle Bay.

"One of his friends, (the late) Joe Saito, was stalled out there, and my dad was always willing to go out of his way to tow someone in," Murakami said.

"He was towing Joe's boat in but had to use the second (steering) control (from inside his own boat rather than the one on the bridge)," Murakami said. "But his CB radio was on the bridge so he left his friend, Eddie Uyeda, up there. But Eddie fell asleep and while my dad was towing Joe's boat, the tow rope broke. Joe was calling them on the CB but they didn't know what had happened until my dad noticed Joe's boat wasn't there. Joe was lost at sea but they eventually found him."

Services for Richard Murakami are pending.

He is survived by his wife, Alice; sons Gary, Leslie, Terry and Randy; brothers Takayuki, Hubert, Kengo and Leonard; and sisters Kay Mizusawa, Norma Robello, Thelma Vasconcellos, Amy Shinsato and Laverne Kaluhiokalani.

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.