Obituaries

Sam passed away peacefully at home with his wife Christina by his side after a long illness that he faced with strength and spirit on March 23, 2024. He will be deeply missed by those who shared in his life.

Sam was born on November 20, 1930, in New York City, the third child of Samuel H. Ordway, Jr., and Anna Wheatland Ordway.

As an adolescent growing up in Manhattan, he had many adventures exploring Central Park, riding on the subways and eventually joining the Harvard mountaineering club while studying Russian language and literature at Harvard. Upon graduation, he entered the navy through the ROTC program in college and went off to the Korean war. He took a year off from graduate studies after he returned from Korea and traveled through Europe. His language skills landed him a job with the State Department where he served his country as a diplomat for 30 years, mostly in Africa and around Washington, D.C. He met and married his first true love Penny, and they had many adventures working overseas together. They had two sons, Richard and David. Sam and Penny eventually retired and made their way west to the family Shasta O Ranch in Weed, CA. When Penny passed away from cancer in 1994, he met his second true love, Christina who loved and cared for him for over 30 years. He was happy until the end.

He was predeceased by his father, Samuel H. Ordway, Jr., and his mother, Anna Wheatland Ordway, as well as his sister Kinney, brother Stephen, sister Ellen and beloved wife Penelope Joan Bronson Ordway.

He is survived by his wife, Christina, son Richard (and his wife, Bonnie), his son David (and his wife, Sigrid), grandchildren Anna (and her husband, Trevor), Christina (and her husband, Zachary), Eric and Patrick and great-grandchild Avery.