Samuel Frederick Wright III

Samuel “Sam” F. Wright III, passed away peacefully at home on May 5, 2023. He was 82. He lived in South Orange, NJ, until his family moved to West Caldwell, NJ, where he met and married the love of his life – his high school sweetheart, Roseann. He started raising his family in Boonton, NJ, then settled in Ramsey, where he lived for 44 years. 

Sam served in the Army for 3 years, in Vietnam as a “Huey” helicopter door gunner. He survived his helicopter being shot down twice and was awarded an Air Medal for meritorious achievement while engaged in aerial combat support of ground troops. Sam then attended Fairleigh Dickinson University on the GI Bill and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Economics and an MBA in International Business. He worked for IBM in various capacities for 35 years. Sam, an avid reader, capitalized on his love of reading by starting a second career at the Lee Memorial Library in Allendale, where he worked for another 15 years, until fully retiring in 2021. 

He was a dedicated family man who coached girls’ softball in Boonton and both girls’ and boys’ soccer in Ramsey.  Because he enjoyed it so much, he continued to coach the Ramsey girls’ Hotspur team long after his children aged out. He enjoyed running and ran several marathons, before slowing down to walking. Sam walked the streets of Ramsey early every morning, waving to the other early risers while picking up trash along his route. He even received an Outstanding Citizen Award from the mayor for his help in keeping his community clean.

Sam loved nothing more than spending time with his family and is survived by his greatly beloved wife of 61 years, Roseann Wright (nee Lewczyk) and their 4 children and 14 grandchildren: Roseann (San Francisco); Rebecca Vogt and children Michael, Megan and Jordan Chirichella (West Milford); Samuel F. Wright IV, his wife Florence (nee Melville) and their children Emma, Sophie, and Janey (Little Silver), and Sharon Pasewaldt, her husband Dieter, and their children Rachel, Cosette, and Sarah Ruh, and D. Samuel, Erik, Maximilian, Stephanie, and Kirsten Pasewaldt (Bridgewater).

A proud Vietnam veteran, Sam will be inurned in the Columbarium Niche Wall at Arlington National Cemetery in a private ceremony. There will be a memorial service for friends and family at Van Emburgh-Sneider-Pernice Funeral Home, 109 Darlington Ave, Ramsey, on Thursday, May, 11 from 3:30-7:30 PM

In lieu of flowers, you can make a donation in Sam’s name to the Ramsey Volunteer Ambulance Corps 41 S. Island Ave. Ramsey, NJ or the Ramsey Volunteer Fire Dept. PO Box 164 Ramsey, NJ.

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