Richard Lee Sam Sr.
A celebration of the life of Richard Lee Sam Sr. will be held 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, at the Moose Lodge.
Richard, who lived half his life in Sitka, died Aug. 17, 2019, in King County, Seattle, Washington. He was 59.
He was born Nov. 22, 1959, in Sitka, the son of Katherine (Johnson) and Henry Sam Sr. His mother was from Haines.
Richard graduated from Sitka High School in 1977, and in 1989 moved to Seattle.
He was a carpenter, plumber, electrician, and all-around handyman.
He was an avid fisherman and a hunter, and a member of both the American Legion Post 13 and the Moose Lodge.
He was married to Anna Marie Hill at Shee Atika, in Sitka.
Richard was preceded in death by his father, Henry Sam Sr.; his mother, Katherine Maberry; his stepfather Herman Maberry; his aunt Betty Garrity, his sister Carol Ann Breece; and his half-brother John Willett Koshmann.
Survivors include his son, Ricky Lee Sam Jr. and granddaughter Sarah, of Anchorage; brothers Henry Sam Jr. of Anchorage, Gilbert Roy Sam of Sitka, Troy (Maberry) Cantrell of Texas, Tommy Lee Maberry of Kansas, and Stacy Gene Maberry, of Indianapolis, Indiana; sisters Lillian Marie (Sam) Saldiver of Juneau, Cathy Marie Lindoff of Hoonah, Betty Jo (Willett) Edenshaw of Sitka, Lorraine Lynn Maberry of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, and Sharon Anne (Maberry) Kelly of Indianapolis, Indiana.
Many nieces and nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews also survive.
Said his sister, Betty Jo Edenshaw, “He was not only my big brother but my best friend.”
