Sam Edward Mitts

We might as well get the story of his name out of the way up front. John was deployed to Korea with the Air Force while Vivian was pregnant, and in every letter home, he would ask how “Sammy” was doing—he wanted to name his son after his favorite football player, Sammy Baugh. But the night before the birth, Vivian was watching I Love Lucy and noticed that the sound design company was called Glen Glen Productions. Whether on a whim or in protest, she decided the baby would be named Glen. When John returned home, he simply decided the name was still going to be Sam. And it stuck. Sam would spend the next 67 years explaining why the name “Sam” was nowhere in his legal name.

As a military brat, Sam moved often, including overseas, as John received various orders. The family finally settled in San Antonio around the time Sam was entering high school. It was there he met his first true love, Karen Mott. Sam and Karen were married on December 29, 1979 a day made all the more memorable by her walk down the aisle in a leg-long cast, thanks to a piggyback ride gone wrong from Sam.

After college, Sam began his career in accounting, eventually joining USAA in 1987. As with many things in his life, he rose through the ranks in a way that only Sam could. The CEO at the time, General Robert McDermott, took a special liking to him, and before long, Sam found himself managing the newly built Fiesta Texas theme park. He didn’t know how he managed to find himself in this job, but he did such an excellent job that he went on to lead the development of the La Cantera resort and eventually the Shops at La Cantera Mall. Sam officially retired from USAA RealCo in the spring of 2016, after a long and successful career.

But his most important job, the one he cared about most, was being a husband and a father. Sam and Karen were blessed with three children, and he poured himself into raising them. Despite a demanding work schedule that often included travel, he was always there to coach their teams, support their passions, and remind them that the best gift you can give your children is a happy marriage. He and Karen lived that truth. Sam treasured family vacations and especially loved taking his children, and later his grandchildren, to Disney World, which always held a special place in the Mitts family.

Life brought its trials as well. Around 1999, Sam was diagnosed with throat cancer, and Karen was diagnosed with Lupus. But their faith in God and in each other never wavered. They came through the storm with a renewed sense of purpose. From that point on, both became deeply involved in their parish community at St. Pius X, dedicating time and resources to the causes they cared about.

Their faith also brought with it a remarkable group of lifelong friends who brought out the best in Sam. He loved dinners out, travel adventures, and the annual trip to South Padre with those nearest and dearest to him. He often said that the three most important things in life were faith, family, and friends, everything else would fall in line if you had those figured out. As much as Sam achieved in his career, his greatest joy came in his role as Papa. He and Karen became grandparents in 2010, and their family tree continued to grow, soon to include their eighth grandchild. At the announcement of the first pregnancy, Mimi and Papa were reported to have exclaimed, “We did it!” which, for the record, is highly debatable but we’ll let that go for now. Papa loved telling stories, taking the grandkids on adventures, and rolling around on the floor with them. Just as he had been as a husband and a father, Papa was the ultimate grandfather.

When Karen passed away in 2021, Sam did his best to be a rock for the family, but the loss of a soulmate is crushing. He continued to face health challenges, and we worried about how he would come back from something so deep and painful. But God must have been watching, because when Sam needed an angel, he found one in Kelli O’Neill. He often said he couldn’t believe “lightning struck twice.” Their relationship brought light back into his life. Kelli, his “favorite nurse,” was by his side through it all, offering strength, love, and devotion. They were married in a beautiful ceremony on April 4, 2025.

Sam Mitts passed away on May 14, 2025, after a long fight with cancer. He died peacefully at home, surrounded by his loving wife and children.

Sam was preceded in death by his first wife, Karen, and his parents, Vivian and John Mitts. He is survived by his wife, Kelli; his sister, Donna Burkholder, and her husband, Jimmy; his brother, Ken Mitts, and his wife, Beth. He is also survived by his three children and their spouses, whom he loved dearly: Ryan and Stacy Mitts, Elizabeth and Patrick Collins, and Jack and Meaghan Mitts. Papa continues to watch over eight grandchildren: Gavin, Liam, Wesley, and Connor Mitts; Charlotte and Madelyn Collins; Augustus Mitts; and a soon-to-be-born grandchild, expected in June.

He is missed, but never forgotten, and his memory will live on in the countless people lucky enough to have known him.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to The Alexander House, a faith-based marriage initiative that Sam loved (www.thealexanderhouse.org), or to St. Pius X Catholic School, where Sam sent his children to be educated in Christ (https://school.stpiusxsa.org/donate).

Sam will be celebrated on Tuesday, May 20, at St. Pius X Catholic Church with a visitation and rosary at 6 p.m. A funeral Mass will be held Wednesday, May 21, at 1:30 p.m., followed by interment and a celebration of life.