Sam Sapitsky

Sam Saptisky left us to join his beloved wife Frances on Tuesday, April 26, 2011. Sam was born in Nur, Poland, on April 1, 1923 to Sol and Ida Sapitsky. He and Frances Reingold married in Kansas City on June 1, 1947, and were together for over 60 years, where they were blessed with their two sons, Norman and Mark.

At 6 months old, Sam and his parents, along with Sam’s sister Rose, left Poland to cross the Bug River and the Atlantic Ocean, and settled in Kansas City. Sam attended school in Kansas City and graduated from Manuel High School. He served in the Philippines with the U.S. Army from 1943-1946, where he was awarded the Bronze Star. He and his Army friend Victor Silverstein met and married two lovely sisters, Ruth and Frances Reingold, and Sam and Frances settled in Salt Lake City in 1947.

Sam owned and operated National Jewelry and Luggage in Salt Lake until his retirement in 1985. According to his sister Rose, “Sammy never met a stranger”, and people liked to stop by his store, just to chat, hear the same old jokes, and have a soda from the antique coke machine. In addition to his store, he served as a partner in the Mednick Brokerage until 1970, and was associated with Olsen Payne Brokerage until 2000. After he retired, he and Frances traveled the world, and loved to spend winters in Palm Springs, where they had many social friends and Sam enjoyed playing tennis. Sam was always organized and punctual, cocktails at 4:00 with his pal Michael Kottler, and ice cream at 9:00.

Among his many activities and honors, Sam was a Charter member of the Heart of America AZA, member of the B’nai B’rith, a member of Congregations Montefiore and Kol Ami. He was a 32 Mason, El Kalah Temple Shrine and a member of the Wasatch #1 Masonic Lodge. He served on Governor Rampton’s Council for Small Business.

In his later years, Sam managed home dialysis for 3 years so he could take care of Frances. There were countless people who loved, helped, and supported Sam through the years; the family would like to offer thanks to the home and hemo dialysis nurses and professional support staff who took good care of Sam, Drs. Frank Yanowitz and James E. Pearl for providing the art and science medicine to the entire family, and Millcreek Home Health and Hospice for its compassion.

Son Norman and his wife Libba and grandchildren Jacoba and Micah, son Mark and partner Richard Metzner, his sister Rose Levine, family friend Victoria Pullman and her daughters Pamela and Francine, his “personal Rabbi” Stanley Relkin, along with the extended family and many friends, will always have Sam in their hearts.

Services will be held Thursday, April 28th at 1:00pm at Evans and Early, 574 E. 100 S. Those wishing to honor Sam are asked to recognize his memory through the Congregation Kol Ami Torah Fund or Jewish Community Center in Salt Lake City.

ake City, UT.