Senio, Falaniko Rocky

Falaniko Rocky Senio, 57, died peacefully at his home in Springdale on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010. Funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, at the West Branch Friends Church. Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Henderson-Barker Funeral Home in West Branch. Burial will be in the North Liberty Cemetery, rural Springdale.

 A memorial fund has been established.

 Online condolences may be made to the family at

Falaniko Rocky Senio, known to his family as “Tuvale” and to his friends as “Niko,” was born Sept. 25, 1952, to Senio Sialafau and Miriama Vou in the village of Nofoali'i, Western Samoa. Growing up in the traditions of the Samoan islands, Niko excelled in rugby, volleyball, cricket and track. He spent much of his youth working on the family plantation raising crops such as copra, bananas and taro. He also spent time spear fishing and diving in the South Pacific. He learned to play the Samoan slack-key guitar at a young age by watching and listening to his father. Singing harmony to his native songs came naturally to him. 

After high school he moved to American Samoa to look for work and from there decided to join the United States Marine Corps. After enlisting he was injured and sent to Tripler Army Medical Center, where he met Gwen Millett, who worked for the Red Cross. The two were married on June 14, 1975, at the Tripler Hospital Chapel. Niko and Gwen gave birth to their son, Atonio, on June 16, 1978, at Kapiolani Hospital in Honolulu. The young family moved to Springdale, Iowa in 1981 and was later completed by the birth of their daughter, Malia, in 1983. 

Niko was a jack of all trades but eventually enrolled at Kirkwood Community College, where he became certified as a nurse's aide and later as a rehabilitation aide. His deep rooted Samoan culture, which holds the elderly in the highest esteem, suited him perfectly for his 20-year career at the Iowa City Rehabilitation and Health Care Center. Here he endeared himself to the residents and co-workers through his singing and caregiving. 

Music was an essential part of Niko's life. He and his friends and family have performed countless Polynesian programs. One of Niko's proudest honors was when he received the talking chief title and the name Gaseata to represent his village. Over the years in rural Iowa, he transformed his backyard into a tropical paradise containing hundreds of native and exotic species. A touch of his island home can be enjoyed by all visitors to Springdale. His physical strength was apparent throughout his yearlong battle with cancer. Niko died on Jan. 19, 2010.

 He was preceded in death by his father, Senio; his brothers, Safanua, Savelio and Falaniko; and sisters, Maliana and Akenese. 

He is survived by his mother, Miriama of Nofoali'I; his loving wife, Gwen Senio of Springdale; his son, Tony Senio, daughter-in-law, Erin, and their daughter, Si'iva, of Coralville; his daughter, Malia Senio, and son-in-law, Duane Charlton, of Tampa, Fla.; sisters, Keke, Nila, Rosalia, Itagia, Anaseata and Feavea'i; brother, Falaniko; and countless other family members and friends.