Samuel Less, 62, died June 25, 2017 following a positive, calm and exceptionally brave battle against cancer. Sam was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 4, 1954. In keeping with the spirit of the day he weighed in at 7.6 and was destined to be called Uncle Sam by many nieces and nephews. Sam grew up on Long Island in Wantagh and Roslyn.
Sam graduated from the University of New Mexico with degrees in English and Philosophy and from the School of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse with an MS in Environmental Science. Sam began his career in 1981 with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. He then worked at Parsons Brinckerhoff for twenty-two years where he became a Technical Director, and at HDR serving as a Vice President and Northeast Environmental Planning Director. One of his favorite assignments involved a ballpark design where he fulfilled a childhood dream by signing baseballs on opening night. Sam’s career extended beyond New York City taking him all over the world, including extensive field work in Jakarta, Indonesia and New Delhi, India.
Sam was dedicated to his family and nourished them with his broad knowledge of art, poetry, literature, science and history, his culinary skill (he did all the cooking), quick wit, and sage advice. Sam enjoyed gardening, playing the blues on his beat-up guitar, 5:00 a.m. gym workouts, and the outdoors. Always modest and understated, Sam kept his writing private though he was the recipient of the Academy of American Poets prize at Syracuse University and has had many poems published.
Sam is predeceased by his father, Joseph, and stepfather, Max Weinberg. He is survived by his mother, Edith Weinberg, his beloved sisters, Gail Goodman and Amy Schneider, their husbands, Saul and Chris, and many nieces and nephews.
He also leaves his best friend and wife of 36 years, Lisa Ringler Less, and the light of his life, his children, Jordan and Maren.
Contributions in Sam’s memory may be made to the Samuel Less Fund at The Nature Conservancy.
Sam will be dearly missed.
Never enough…
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