Services for Henry Sam Jr. will be held 1:30 p.m. Friday at St. Michael’s Cathedral.
Henry died Dec. 25, 2024, while in in Seattle for medical treatment. He was 73.
He was born in Sitka on Sept. 6, 1951, the son of Kathy Mayberry and Henry Sam Sr.
He graduated in 1970 from Sitka High School, where he’d been on the track team and taken part in intramural basketball.
He was with the Federal Aviation Administration, and after training in Oklahoma he served in Anchorage and Ketchikan, spending about 20 years in each station. He retired and returned to Sitka in 2019.
Henry had a kind heart, his family said, and enjoyed everyone’s company, no matter who they were. He liked watching football, or the newest Blu-ray movie.
His favorite pastimes also included fishing, beadwork, baking cookies and cakes, and making small wooden boats. He loved going out in the forest, driving, watching movies, and reading.
He was a member of Alaska Native Brotherhood, Camp 1.
Survivors include his daughter, Vivian E. Holt of Sitka; sons Henry Sam III and Christopher Sam; grandson Demetri C. Lestenkoff III; and granddaughter Virginia E. M. Lestenkoff, all of Sitka.
Pallbearers will be Douglas Johnson, Alex Johnson-Rice, Andy Roberts, Michael Dean Miller, Demetri C. Lestenkoff III and Father Herman.
