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Tongans in Utah are grieving the death this week of their homeland's Queen Mother Halaevalu Mata'aho, who had visited the Beehive State twice in recent years.

"It's a big loss for the Tongan community," Seini Ma'afu, of West Valley City, said Tuesday. "All Tongans are mourning this loss."

Mata'aho died Sunday at age 90 at an Auckland, New Zealand, hospital and will be laid to rest in Tonga on March 1, Kaniva News said.

The New Zealand Herald reported that many Tongans turned to social media to praise the "magnificent" Mata'aho and send condolences to the Pacific island nation's royal family.

Mata'aho came to Utah in 2004 and 2011, the first time for the dedication of the newly built Tongan United Methodist Church in West Valley City and the second time to help celebrate paying off the mortgage on the building at 1553 W Crystal Ave. (2590 South). In 2004, Mata'aho, then Tonga's queen, accompanied her husband, King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV. After the king's death in 2006, their son became King George Tupou V, making Mata'aho the queen mother. Tupou V died in 2012, and his brother, now King Tupou VI, ascended to the throne.

During the 2011 visit, Tongans in traditional dress celebrated Mata'aho nightly on the front lawn of a West Valley City home where she was staying.

Ma'afu, a native Tongan who grew up in Utah, saw Mata'aho during both visits and described her as a "very humble queen" who gave back to the community wherever she went. The queen mother was known for her charitable work, especially with people who have mental or physical disabilities, she said.

Utah businessman Lester W.B. Moore, former president and chief executive officer of the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii, said he was impressed with Mata'aho's graciousness the first time he met her.

At one function with the queen mother and her daughter, he was astounded at hundreds of Polynesians' love and respect for them, Moore said. The attendees showered the two with gifts, and he asked them what they would do with those presents, he said.

"The response is one I'll never forget ... 'We will make sure that those in need will receive them,' " Moore said.

Utahn Taniela Lavulo, a retired U.S. Army captain who helped coordinate security for the visits, said Mata'aho was approachable. She enjoyed speaking with ordinary people, he said, and would pose for photos with them.

"She was a very beloved queen," Lavulo said, "the people's queen."

Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC