Sam Noriyuki

Samuel Sam Noriyuki passed away Oct. 25, 2013, in Fort Collins, Colorado, at age 96. He was born in Ione, Colorado on May 15, 1917, to Matsutaro and Tsuta Watanabe Noriyuki. He attended high school in Ft. Lupton, Colorado, but left school before graduation to help with the family farming business. Sam had wanted to be a doctor, but didn't have the resources for schooling. He farmed in Weld and Larimer counties for about 40 years. This period includes raising cattle and sheep, and he learned to diagnose sickness and to care for ailing animals. There was never a child or an animal who didn't love Sam. On Feb. 5, 1944, he married Amy Yumiko Hoshiko in Greeley, Colorado. He had 3 children, Ronald, Georgia, and Duane. As a farmer, Sam used his mechanical aptitude to create a farm-tractor-mounted onion harvester. He built a trailer to carry farm workers so they could hoe row crops while sitting. He attached two farm tractors together and built remote controls for one operator. And, he overhauled diesel and gasoline engines—his favorite engine was the Ford 351 V8. On Jan. 3, 1973, he began work as a machinist at Woodward Governor Company in Fort Collins, Colorado. He became an expert at operating an inside-diameter grinder. He retired on June 30, 1983. He said farming was a satisfying but hard life, and if it wasn't for working at Woodward, he wouldn't have had resources for his retirement. Fishing with friends and family was his passion, and he learned to build and repair his own fishing rods. A perfectly colored and proportioned hooked-jawed Brown Trout hangs on his wall. He and Amy also enjoyed many trips to the Saratoga Hot Springs. Throughout his life, Sam was uniquely unselfish. He tried to make everybody happy. He did that every day with a smile, a few kind words, or a simple act of generosity. Sam is survived by his wife and 3 children, as well as 2 sisters Mary Greene and Betty Kajiwara, 1 brother Keish Noriyuki, 5 grandchildren Carianne Kanda, Frank Parker, Calidee Noriyuki, Rhiley Ethridge, Rhuby Noriyuki and 6 great grandchildren Tiffany Suekama, Kaitlyn Noriyuki, Justin Kanda, Samuel Parker, Matthew Kanda, and Keean Ethridge. A memorial service will be conducted at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, at Bohlender Funeral Chapel.