Samuel Sam Vargas

Sam is survived by his loving wife Priscilla Naomi Vargas, his three precious and beautiful daughters, Samantha, Kristina, and Angelica. His parents Jose Marciano & Lidia Vargas. His siblings, Veronica (Transito) Chavez, Lidia (Todd) Herbert, Silvia (Martin) Dominguez, Patricia (Dos) Rossouw, Cecilia Vargas, Jose (Laura) Vargas, Victor (Ruby) Vargas, Elsa (Mario) Medina, Richard (Jeimi) Vargas; Father in-law Arturo Bañuelos, mother in-law Pola I. Rodriguez, and his brother in laws and sister in-law: Mario (Irene) Rodriguez, Ruben Michael Bañuelos, Isauro (Gordo) Valdez, Julia Valdez, and Abel Miramontes. His grandmother in-law (Wuela) Julia Rodriguez. Nieces and nephews: Krystal (Cande), Cesar, Alex, Michael, Richard, Neill, Michaiah, Heidi, Joey, Todd II, Rubi, Charity, Daniel, Peiter, Samantha, Elijah, Hannah, Sarah, Haley, Mathew, Abel, Lucas, Kristina, Skylynn, Selena, Angelica, Natalie and Jaslynn, Ruben, Jazmin, Daniel, Nathaniel, John Michael, Landen, Tessa, Isabella, and Joshua and great nephew Gael Chavez, Cicero Police Department, by many aunts and uncles, cousins and he was a great friend to all.

Visitation, Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at Mount Auburn Funeral Home, 4101 South Oak Park Avenue, Stickney, Illinois from 2:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Celebration of Life 6:00 p.m. “Walk Through” from the Cicero Police Department at 7:00 p.m.

Funeral Services, Thursday, October 7, 2010. Lying in State at Fifty Eighth Avenue Baptist Church 2228 South 58th Avenue Cicero, IL 60804 from 8:00 am till the start of services at 10:00 a.m. Interment Mount Auburn Memorial Park Cemetery, Stickney, Illinois

Arrangements under the direction of Mount Auburn Funeral Home, Stickney, Illinois. Concepción Rodriguez, Funeral Director.

Samuel Vargas was a natural leader whose winning presence allowed him to take control of various situations with ease. Equipped with a clear and calculating focus, he possessed a tough-minded, “take charge” attitude. He had the ability to make even routine situations seem exciting, and he was at ease with the role of playing problem solver. Sam always sought out the scene of where the action was. Sociable, analytical and pleasant, Sam was an individual who enjoyed life’s challenges.

Sam was born on July 1, 1973 at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were Jose Marciano and Lidia Vargas. Sam was raised in the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. Always able to express himself well, Sam possessed strong interpersonal skills. He was optimistic in his outlook on life and was able at all times to be open and direct in his communication. Armed with a great wit, Sam was raised to be accepting of others and to implement a strong personal work ethic.

Blessed with a balanced attitude, Sam was able to relate well with others. His occasional role as family mediator gave him the opportunity to ease tense situations when they occurred. Sam was raised with ten siblings. He had Five older sisters, Veronica, Lidia, Silvia, Patricia, Cecilia and one older brother Jose and he had two younger brothers Victor,and Richard and two younger sisters Lisa and Elsa. Sam had a strong desire to be treated fairly and would readily offer others the same fairness in return.

As a young child, Sam showed his creative ability in many ways. He was outgoing and animated. Sam enjoyed new activities and pursued a variety of interests. He took part in softball and football. He was a member in the Gads Hill Public Library, Fiesta Del Sol committees and the Boys Club. In his spare time he liked going fishing with his father and brother and riding his bike. Sam's memorable achievements included winning the science fair competition in grammar school.

Known to others as a focused, logical, open-minded and somewhat driven individual, Sam was able to utilize these qualities to succeed in high school. His curious nature was spurred by his ability to maximize his personal learning style through employing a hands-on approach. He was good with facts and had an excellent memory. Sam attended Chicago Metro High school for his freshman, sophomore and junior year in his senior year he had to transfer to Benito Juarez High School due to the closing of metro High school. While at Metro he won the Chicago Metro History Fair three years in a row; He went to Springfield, Illinois for his awards; he had to transfer from Metro High school in his Senior year to Benito Juarez High school because they closed the school for the now Walter Payton High School. He graduated from Benito Juarez High School in 1992. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. His favorite class in high school was Science.

When the goal of college was in sight, it became important to Sam. Again, his direct, “down to earth” approach served him well. He was able to absorb complex concepts and had an acute sense of how things worked. Sam attended National Lewis University and graduated with his Bachelors in Arts in 2000 and was currently working on obtaining his Master Degree. His favorite courses were Critical Thinking.

Friends and acquaintances found Sam an easy man to get to know, and those close to him would often praise his open, practical style of communication and relaxed approach to life in general. Sam was uncomplicated and straightforward in his relationships, which allowed him to accept people for what they were. While growing up, some of his best friends were Cano Gonzalez, Martin Gonzalez, Alex Briones, Andres Bravo, and Juan G. Torres:. Later in life, he became friends with Sammy Cuellar, Robert Garcia, Frankie Kane, and Gerardo Lara.

Sam was attentive to Priscilla's feelings, and he charmed Priscilla and others with his gift for being able to give freely and generously. A good listener with an engaging personality, Sam was able to bring pleasure and unexpected humor to the relationship.

Very much like a kid himself, Sam identified with the inquisitive and creative side of his children’s personalities. He was able to direct his energy and spontaneity towards helping his children acquire added common sense skills. Sam was blessed with three precious and beautiful daughters, Samantha, Kristina and Angelica.

Sam was a flexible worker who was able to draw the best from others around him. A persuasive individual who was quick to make necessary decisions, Sam’s strengths included being able to think on his feet. He could be a leader who sought impact for his decisions. Gifted with an incredible ability to read body language, Sam was able to positively manipulate situations and motivate others in order to get a task completed. He was a good negotiator who enjoyed new challenges. Sam could multi-task, and he was endowed with entrepreneurial spirit, allowing him to think beyond standard norms when it came to resolving issues in his work environment. His primary occupation was a Cicero Police Officer. He was employed for the Cicero Police Department since 1999 prior to coming to the Cicero Police Department he worked for the Cook County Sheriff Department as a Corrections Officer at Cook County Jail and also worked for the Cook County Forest Perserve Police District.

Sam enjoyed his leisure time by taking part in various hobbies. He had something of an artistic flair in many of the things that he did. He put this creativity toward all of his pastimes. His favorite pursuits were fishing, traveling, cook outs, family outings and attending Tejano festivals across the country. He was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

Sam was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching and attending his favorite events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were CHICAGO CUBS and CHICAGO BEARS.

Sam was a gifted problem solver who worked hard to help accomplish group goals. This skill made him a wonderful asset to the various groups and organizations to which he belonged. Always matter-of-fact about what needed to be done, Sam worked steadily to meet any organization’s goals. Throughout his later years, Sam was an active member of the Nosotros Unidos, Cicero Police Benevolent Association and the Illinois Police Association.

Sam held close traditional values and as a result, faith was important to him he was a born again beliver of Jesus Christ. He was a member of the Fifty Eighth Avenue Baptist Church for over six years. During that time, he was an Assistant Deacon, Usher and drove the church van to pick up church members on Wednesday night Bible Classes and Sunday night services.

Sam’s natural leadership qualities placed him in consideration for public recognition, earning him accolades for his many and varied efforts throughout his life. His most prestigious awards included Best husband and Best father!

Travel and vacations were experiences that Sam truly enjoyed. He preferred to seek out excitement wherever he went and he was partial to vacations that were casual and laid back with an atmosphere of “live and let live.” He was willing to leave his plans open and flexible, just in case something more interesting came along. Favorite vacations Sam traveled across the United States with his family , Texas, El Paso, San Antonio and The Rio Grande Valley were his favorite cities,.

Sam was the kind of person who could win others over easily. A concrete communicator, he relied on his senses to increase his involvement and awareness of others. He was always able to provide amusing repartee to his friends and acquaintances, offering a seemingly endless supply of quips, anecdotes, jokes and stories. If Sam had a theme song written about him, it might well have been “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” He enjoyed his life and the experience of living it. This is how everyone will remember Samuel Vargas.