Sam Wakefield, 84

Sam Wakefield passed away Friday, Feb. 8, 2013, of natural causes in Poulsbo, Wash. He was 84.

“It's been a good run.”

He was born Dec. 11, 1928, in San Francisco to Sam Wakefield III and Ruth Cravath Wakefield. He graduated from Lowell High School in San Francisco.  

Sam loved the outdoors. He worked for the state of California clearing trails as a teenager. He earned his bachelor’s degree in forestry from the University of Montana. He fought forest fires as a smokejumper in 1949, 1950 and 1955, from the Missoula jumper base. He just missed the jump list for the Mann Gulch fire. Sam hiked up to the Mann Gulch fire area with his son in 1999 during the 50th anniversary of the tragedy.   Sam served in the Navy at the Kodiak Naval Air Station during the Korean War.  

Sam found the love of his life, Jean Jackson, of Kalispell, as he worked on his master’s degree in forestry at the University of Montana. Sam took a ranger job in the Gallatin National Forest. On weekends he drove over 420 miles round trip between Missoula and the Squaw Creek Ranger Station in the Gallatin Canyon as he dated Jean. Sam and Jean married in 1960.  

Sam's career took him from the U.S. Forest Service in Montana and Idaho to the Federal Water Quality Administration in Portland to the Environmental Protection Agency in Denver and Seattle. He lived on Bainbridge Island Wash., for 20 years. He and his wife moved to Poulsbo in 1996, and stayed for seven years. He longed to move back to Montana year-round. They lived briefly in Spokane and Missoula before returning to Poulsbo in 2010, due to health reasons.

Fortunately Sam and Jean did some traveling before their health issues popped up. Some of their travels included England, Ireland, Scandinavia, central Europe, Mexico, Alaska and a cruise through the Panama Canal.

Sam and Jean spent many cherished summer seasons in their cabin on Flathead Lake.  

Sam was preceded in death by his twin sister, Elizabeth Erdman.  

He is survived by his wife, Jean and son, Stuart.  

Sam requested that he not have a memorial service.