My name is Michael Sam Pavlos. I am the youngest of Sam’s four children, who are Steve, Debbie and Jeanette. We would like to thank everyone who has come here today to give their respect to our father as well as to express their sympathy to us. We are greatly appreciative of all your kindness and your support, as it does mean so very much to us.
From the size of this gathering here today, we all can see that our dad has many relatives and has many friends. So if you knew Sam, there probably isn’t too much more that I could say about him than you may already know.
To begin to describe him, Sam was a great husband, father, papou, neighbor, a World War II and a Korean War veteran and using a term that he liked to use quite a bit was ‘a friend of the people’. Our dad was one of the hardest working people I have ever met and he did so to take care of his family and provide for us so that we had everything we ever needed. Just as we did for our Mother, we pulled together as a family and took care of our Dad in his time of need. I know that our Mother would be very proud of us and I am very, very proud of my family as well.
Once our Mom passed away in October of 2001, we were not sure how our Dad would bounce back after the loss of such a wonderful and caring wife. Looking back now, I think he did just great, due in part to the support of all of his friends and all of his family. Because of that support he received from everyone, I do want to thank each and every one of you. Whether you think your involvement was big or small, I will say that it all mattered a great deal, and I know that everyone played a very important role in that period of his life.
Our Dad continued to live life to the fullest, whether it was going on fishing trips with his close buddies, or through gardening (of which he loved sharing the items that he grew with friends, family and neighbors), or dancing up a storm at family weddings. But one of things that we did as a family was taking him to Las Vegas each year for his birthday, starting in 2002, when he turned 80. Those trips are very special memories to us and most notably was our last trip to
But starting back a few years ago, our Dad did not want to wait for a whole year to go by again for his birthday trip, so he had asked me to book him a trip to
Now the first time that I waited to pick him up at the airport, I was a little nervous. You know when you see the crowd of people come through the gates and you look for your loved one in anticipation, I was worried that I would not see him come through the gates and find out that he missed his flight or something happened and that I would get in trouble with my family. But each time, he did make it back safely.
Our Dad went to Vegas on his own a few times and each time, he always talked about his trip for days, saying how he had a ‘blast.’ He really enjoyed meeting and talking to new people from different parts of the world.
On these trips to Vegas, what most people do not know is that our Dad would bring carnations from his garden and carry them in a plastic bag. Some of the women that he met during his trip, he would hand them a carnation, whether it was the person at the airport counter, the flight attendant, or the blackjack dealer. I saw it with my own eyes that our Dad made each one of these person’s day, that much brighter. Sam had the ability to meet and talk to anyone he wanted, often leaving them with a great memory and a smile on their face.
I know that everyone is saddened at this time for our loss, but I want you all to instead be grateful for anytime that you had to talk to or spend time with Sam. Also, know that our Dad had a wonderful, long life, saw more places than most people will ever get to see and was blessed with a wonderful wife & family, parents, brothers and sisters, nephews & nieces, grandchildren and very good friends that made his life that much more enjoyable.
**** For now, I am just hopeful that in Heaven, that my Dad is reunited with my Mom (Marie) and her Mom (Margaret), all of his relatives, my Uncle Mina, also his PT buddies and lastly, I hope that in Heaven, that there are a lot of $5 dollar blackjack tables for my Dad and I hope that on his first hand dealt to him that he gets a ‘21’. ****
******************
For those of you who don't know me, I am Steve Pavlos, Sam's oldest son.
As you all know my father was a perpetual student of history, from Ancient Greece to WWII and everything in between. The vivid images he drew often made me think he had to be a reincarnated Spartan soldier.
So in honor of my Dad here is one more little history lesson ABOUT my Dad.
We all know him as Sam, but my family and close friends know Dad was born Spiro.
When Dad was about eight or nine years old he was good friends with a neighbor of his named Spiro Burdis. One day Spiro Burdis decided to change his own first name from Spiro to Sam. And Dad wanting to be an American decided he too would change his name from Spiro S. (for Stelianos, his father) to Sam S. – a truly American name. When he applied for a Social Security number in 1936, he began to miss his baptismal name of Spiro and so he became … Sam Spiro Pavlos.
A truly “self made” man.
But to know the whole story you need to go back years earlier.
In 1906, Dad’s Uncle, Spiro Venierakis (his mother’s brother), left his family’s home in the small beach village of Kalyves, Crete. And like thousands of others at this time, he left the poverty of his homeland to seek the opportunities available in America.
Spiro traveled from Crete with three friends from neighboring villages to
Years later Spiro met another Cretan coal miner, Stelianos Pavlidakis, our papou. They became close friends and soon Spiro decided that he would arrange for our papou to marry one of his sisters.
Spiro had four sisters back home in Crete and after many discussions, he sent for his sister Ekaterini to join him. She had truly earned this great opportunity. As she had assumed much of the responsibility of raising her brothers and sisters after their mother had died . She immigrated in December of 1916 and by May she and Stelianos were married.
Soon after, the Pavlidakis family began to grow and grow. By tradition their first son was named after Stelianos’ father. Their second son, our father, was named after his Uncle Spiro.
When Dad was 4 and a half, Uncle Spiro left Utah and returned to Crete after 21 years in America. On the day he left, Uncle Spiro gave Dad and all his brothers and sisters each a silver dollar. Now think for a moment what that meant in 1927. This wonderful act of generosity was one that Dad never forgot. When he became an uncle for the first time in 1947, he followed his Uncle Spiro’s lead and began a tradition that he continued for the rest of his days – giving a silver dollar to his nieces and nephews at special family gatherings.
In remembrance of Dad, we have for each of his nieces and nephews, one more silver dollar from their Uncle Sam.