Sam Suznevich, age 65, passed peacefully from his earthly home Monday, Jan. 19, 2026 surrounded by loving family and friends. He had lived at Lake Tapps all his adult life.

Sam was born in Seattle to Peter C. Suznevich of Pennsylvania and Margaret Murphey of Mississippi. Sam’s father Peter was of Serbian/Croatian descent and proudly served in World War II, later earning his civil engineering degree from Carnegie Mellon, and then moving the family west to Seattle to work for Boeing in the 1950s. Following his father’s death, Sam and his family relocated to Spokane, where Sam attended Lewis and Clark High School, a happy time for him when he made most of his lifelong friends.

Following high school, Sam enrolled at the University of Washington and was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, where he met his wife Janis (Collman), who lived in the sorority across the street. Majoring in Finance at the Foster School Business, he entered the mortgage field, in which he worked for 30 years, owning and managing Sumner Home Mortgage in Sumner Wash. Sam thrived in a field that allowed him to crunch numbers while creating valued personal relationships with his clients. Following an early retirement, he started fresh in commercial real estate, bonding with his colleagues and tapping further into his ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit.

He also threw his passions into The Rotary Club of Sumner, serving as its president, and serving on many committees. He loved his fellow Rotarians and considered it an honor to serve. Additionally, he acted as president and was a long-time board member of the Tapps Island HOA.

It has been said that Sam could light up a room when he entered it. This likely is true, but despite being the shining light in the room, he had the uncanny knack of making everyone feel personally seen and encouraged.

Most important to Sam was his Christian faith and his family: wife Janis, daughters Kristina Suznevich and Sara Barber, Sara’s husband Bryce and their three children, Eden, Ellis and Benny. A joy in his life was his relationship with his two sisters, who brought much love into his world: Virginia Lee and her husband Greg; and Kathy Suznevich. Among other beloved relatives, his mother-in-law Joan Collman also survives him.

In 2021, Sam was told he had ALS. That was a tough diagnosis for a man who would bicycle-ride 100 miles over mountain passes just for the exercise; who would count his turns on the waterski slalom course, with the winner taking the prize hat of the day; who would hitchhike to Mt. Spokane to ski after a day of high school, then come back to work a graveyard shift at the local pancake house.

Sam’s interests were varied and always intense. He gave his “all” to everything: to his friends, to his family, to every endeavor he took on. He could not beat ALS, but he gave the disease a good hard kick in the butt. His faith was his purpose and his mission, and nothing could separate him from the love of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God; those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.

Celebration of Life will be held at Farm 12 in Puyallup, April 16, 4 p.m. All who loved Sam are welcome to attend.

In lieu of donations, please spend time with someone who may be ailing, lonely, or in need of a friend.