Gerald John Samos

West Point, 1955

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by DAVID MARGOLIS on July 22, 2022:

My father-in-law, Gerald Samos, passed away this morning. You won't find a better person. He was always great to me. We were family. I often referred to him as The Colonel, reflecting the rank he achieved during a career in the Air Force. I rarely called him that to his face, but never meant it mockingly. I just delighted in the image it might call up, perhaps a Patton-esque, hard-charging, cigar-chomping military figure, while I knew he loved cultivating his roses, watching Korean soap operas, and if you complimented him on his coffee, well, you'd better pull up a chair because you were in for a step-by-step description of how he brewed it. He was born during the Depression and grew up on the south side of Chicago, which lived up to its reputation as the baddest part of town. His father went off to World War 2 and never came home. Johnny Samos wasn't killed or missing in action; he just decided to find himself another home. Gerry and his brother and his mom didn't have much, but he never dwelled on what he didn't have, becoming active in the local Boys Club, developing a lifelong reading habit, and relishing any chance to display his impressive skill as a ballroom dancer. A poor kid from the South Side with no connections, he still earned a nomination to West Point and thrived there. He got a kick out of recalling that, despite West Point's rigorous physical demands and somewhat Spartan mess hall fare, he was the only Cadet in his class who actually gained weight freshman year. He served honorably, flying during the Viet Nam War, and went on to a successful career with Hughes. Around age 60, he returned to college to get an advanced degree in Finance. He always loved learning. He treated me like a son, and was always a rock whenever I needed one. Gerald J Samos November 23, 1933 - July 15, 2022 Rest in Peace, Colonel

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