Charles Patrick Samar

He was born December 12th, 1936, in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to John and Mary Samar.

Charlie graduated from Sault Area High School in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, in 1955. He was named a member of the varsity baseball team while still a sophomore. He attended Michigan Technological University – Sault Campus for three years, before enlisting in the United States Navy. After graduating from boot camp, he was stationed first in San Francisco, California, and then in Winter Harbor, Maine.

It was in Bar Harbor, Maine, that Charlie met the love of his life, Janice Krawczun, a local from Winter Harbor who was waiting tables at a local coffee shop while on summer break from college.

Immediately following his discharge from the Navy, Charlie and Jan married on September 29th, 1962. He took a job with IBM as a field engineer, servicing mainframe computers. They settled in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, where their two children, Patti and Dale, were both born.

Charlie and Jan made their way back to Charlie’s native Upper Peninsula and settled in Marquette, Michigan, where he continued to work for IBM until his retirement in 1991. He and Jan then traveled around the country in their RV before settling in Anthem, Arizona, to be near their son and grandchildren.

Charlie enjoyed traveling and he and Jan traversed the U.S. and many parts of Europe. He loved the western U.S. states and enjoyed sharing the Rocky Mountains and the Tetons with his kids when they were young. He never met a mountain range he didn’t enjoy.

In Marquette, he was a regular at Mr. Donut where he enjoyed talking about cars and sports with his friends there. He was a loyal and dedicated employee and he earned an “IBM Means Service” award after being nominated by his customers.

He was a walking encyclopedia of the American Automobile and he spent many years tinkering with his beloved 1947 Ford Coupe, which he found on the back lot of a gas station in Gillette, Wyoming, while on a family vacation.

He grew up playing hockey in Sault Ste. Marie, and continued playing, as an adult, for many years in both Marquette and Arizona. He played regularly until he was 72 years old. In Marquette, after a game, he always enjoyed heading to Vango’s for beer and pizza with his friends Gordy and Walt. A longtime season ticket holder to Northern Michigan University hockey, he cheered on the NMU Wildcats alongside his daughter for many years. He was a die-hard Detroit sports fan, and made it a point to watch the Detroit Tigers, Lions and, most especially, the Detroit Red Wings, faithfully, right up until he died.

He loved hiking in the Arizona desert and playing golf with his son and grandsons. Until his health declined a few years ago, he enjoyed daily eight-mile bike rides around Anthem and daily two-mile hikes to the nearest Starbucks. He loved his coffee.

Charlie was a kind and gentle soul. He was a dedicated and loyal husband and the very best father any son and daughter could ever ask for. He was a man of few words, but when he spoke, he was wise and prophetic. He was an exceptionally good listener full of love and compassion for his family. He very much loved and was always entertained by his two grandsons, Logan and Griffin.

Charlie always had a smile on his face and he loved a good “Dad joke.” His humor was soft, subtle, and surprising. He had a quick wit and he loved bringing humor into any conversation. In his own quiet way, Charlie brought light and laughter into every room he entered.

To say he will be missed is an understatement.

Charlie is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Janice; his daughter, Patti (Dale Hemmila) Samar of Port Huron, Michigan; his son, Dale (Michelle) Samar of Cave Creek, Arizona; his grandsons, Logan Samar of Phoenix, Arizona, and Griffin Samar of Flagstaff, Arizona; his sister-in-law, Sue Samar of Bangkok, Thailand; his nephew, Michael (Raelynn) Samar of Colorado Springs, Colorado; his niece, Cynthia (Neil) Xing of Bethesda, Maryland; his grand-niece, Kristen Samar of Salisbury, Maryland and his grand-nephew, Tyler of Colorado Springs, Colorado and grand-nephew Ronan Xing of Bethesda, Maryland.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Mary and John Samar of Sault Ste. Marie; and his brother, Terry Samar of Annapolis, Maryland.

A private family gathering will take place this spring to celebrate Charlie’s life and our love for him. His final resting place will be in the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona located at 23029 North Cave Creek Road, Phoenix, Arizona.

Charlie was a good and kind person. If you would like to make a donation to your favorite charity in honor of his memory, we know he would be humbled, and so would the members of his family.