Sam J. LoPorto
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| April 28, 1918 ~
January 10, 2012 |
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January 10, 2012 |
 Sam
Joseph LoPorto passed away quietly in his home
on January 10, 2012. A service will be held at a
later date.
Sam was born in Anaheim, California on April 26,
1918 to Joe LoPorto and Anna Bucheri LoPorto who
had emigrated here from Sicily; he was one of
seven children. He lived a colorful childhood
and had many hilarious stories. He very much
enjoyed school and learned his trades from his
father.
He joined the National Guard while still in high
school. The Guard was inducted into Federal
Service early in 1941. Sam went into the Service
as a private and came out as a major in the
132nd Infantry Division after serving in the
Americal Division. He served on Kauai,
Bougainville, Fiji and the Philippines.
After 10 years in the service, he came home on
September 1945 and went to work at a nursery
where he met JoAnne McClung, his wife of 65
years. During his life, Sam worked mostly in the
wholesale nursery business. He retired in 1981
and moved to Bonners Ferry. Here, he loved
fishing, hunting, and especially gardening until
the last few years. It was here near the banks
of the Moyie River that he and his wife carved
out a beautiful space for their children and
grand¬children. Moving rocks, planting trees,
clearing brush, and using whatever he could, he
created a home, a beautiful garden, and a
wonderful play area for the children. He enjoyed
making things out of whatever was available and
could fix almost anything. His wit was quick
until the end and he never wasted lumber or
words. He always took care of himself; he
relished his good health and never took it for
granted, but he came to endure multiple health
problems in his last few years and found it
frustrating not to be able to do the things he
had always done for his family and others. His
passing has left a giant void in the lives of
his family, but we take comfort in the knowledge
that his suffering is over and he is in the
company of the Savior, whom he loved.
He is preceded in death by four sisters and two
brothers. He is survived by his wife JoAnne and
his four children: Michael LoPorto, Kathy Young
(Mike), Patrice Richardson (Les), all of Bonners
Ferry, and Nancy Chirichillo (Richard) of Port
Charlotte, Florida. Grandchildren are Joe
LoPorto (Briana), Matt LoPorto, Cody LoPorto,
Julie Vignari (Troy), Jennifer Davis (Brian),
Tina Clausen (Chris), Rebecca Young. He is
survived by his brother Tony LoPorto of
Missoula. Sam has 12 great-grandchildren and
three great-great grandchildren.
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