Sam R. Buck III, beloved and cherished son, brother, husband, father, grampy, uncle, and friend to many, passed on to heaven the morning of July 2, 2024 after an eight-and-a-half-year battle with cancer.

Sam was loved and respected by all who knew him. He was selfless, compassionate, caring and was always reaching out to help others. He always put others’ interests before his own, personally and professionally. He was a man of absolute honesty and integrity. He passionately believed in God and did not fear death.

Sam was born on December 8, 1951. He grew up on San Juan Island and at age 12 his family moved to Straits View Ranch on the southwest side of San Juan Island, where Sam helped to raise cattle, sheep and horses. Each summer he spent long hours cutting and stacking hay for the winter supply. During free time, Sam loved spending time on the beach.

Sam’s first home away from home was an old log cabin he renovated near The Oaks. As a young man, he ran heavy equipment, fished commercially and subsequently was a co-owner of a vegetarian restaurant. Eventually, he moved to Doe Bay on Orcas Island where he met his beautiful wife, Jane. They became an integral part of a health-focused community and resort where Sam was a teacher and a practitioner of energy work called Polarity Therapy. He was also the captain of a 110 ft. old Navy ship they converted into a yacht. This community later became the Alive Polarity Institute and relocated to Murrieta Hot Springs, California. After several successful years of business helping people improve their health, the organization dissolved. It was at this time that Sam called his brother Steve, who was managing the family’s real estate company, and asked: “ Do you think I could make it in the real estate business?” After hearing the reply: “Absolutely!”, Sam, Jane and son, John, moved to San Juan Island and he quickly became a top real estate broker in San Juan County due to his hard work, honesty, integrity and dedication to his clients. He maintained being a top broker throughout his 36-year career. At one point, he was one of the top Coldwell Banker Realtors in the nation!

In 1990, Sam and Jane had their second child, Charlie. Sam was a wonderful father, husband and adored grandpa (“Grampy”). Spending time with family made Sam’s spirit soar. It was obvious he was filled with joy every moment he had the opportunity to have fun with them. Often, Sam initiated the play too. He also loved to share his wisdom, teach them skills and assist when needed.

His mother, Barbara Buck, said Sam always wanted to help people from the time he was a little boy.

His brother Steve remembers always admiring and looking up to Sam throughout his life. Sam was four and a half years older than Steve and always loved it when people asked which brother was older.

Sister Lori, said “my brother Sam was a gem all his life. To know him was to love him. As children we all loved him and adored him. He was a wonderful brother and a loving, kind son to our parents. He also was one of those guys that people loved to meet. Sam was able to reach out to several of his closest friends before he passed on to tell them how much they meant to him and they all called back to say goodbye and let him know how much he mattered in their lives. It was a beautiful exchange of love and care of precious long friendships. Rick Guard was one of Sam’s dearest friends from early childhood to the end. Thank you Rick, we all love you. We are so grateful too for Jane being the love of Sam’s life. They had something really wonderful together, so many beautiful years and all the children and grandchildren –Sam was blessed and he always recognized it. I am grateful for my dear brother always . We were all so blessed to have him be such a wonderful part of our lives. He is deeply missed every single day, but we are so glad he is now in a beautiful new place.

Sam’s sister Lynn will always hold dearly in her heart the joy, love and wisdom he brought to her life. He was excellent at adding fun and laughter to any family gathering and he taught her the power of positive thinking. Most recently, he inspired her when he shared his strong belief that there are no mistakes, they are purposeful opportunities to learn while we are here on this beautiful planet.

Sam’s wife Jane, loved his great sense of humor, creativity, his ability to inspire others and his passion for learning. She feels incredibly blessed to have been in an ever growing love for 46 years of marriage with him and said he would want each of us to follow the highest purpose of our lives, to be ourselves to the best of our ability and live each moment as fully as possible.

Sam was very close to his Coldwell Banker San Juan Islands family, whom he spent much of his life with because he worked so much. He was very loved, respected and cared about by them all. They say “Sam is a legend and he is dearly missed; A gift in our lives in so many ways. He was professional, kind, supportive, sincere and generous with sharing his time and love for this island. An inspiration to many of us…”

Sam has beautifully written three inspiring and enlightening books: Some Of What I Have Learned So Far; Believe Your Experience; and As If I Knew What I Was Talking About. Each book is a gift to read. Friday Harbor Griffin Bay Bookstore and Amazon sell his books.

Sam was preceded in death by his father, Sam R. Buck II and his son, John J. Buck. He is survived by his wife Jane, son Charlie, his mother Barbara Buck, his sister, Lori Stewart (daughter Bernadette), his brother Steve Buck and family (Lindsey (Mike, Leon, Chase, Rylee), Joshua (Sydney), Tanner (Jessica and daughter Brooklyn) and Faith, and sister Lynn Wade (Mark and son Buck), his daughter in law, Laura Bell and grandchildren Indigo and Solomon; and numerous other relatives and close friends.

A celebration of Life for Sam will be held at the San Juan County Fair Grounds on September 14, 2024 from 2:00 to 4:00. There will be a vegetarian potluck after the service.

If you would like to donate in Sam’s name, please give to the San Juan Community Home Trust: 360-378-5541, https://www.hometrust.org, 435c Argyle Avenue, Friday Harbor, WA 98250. Mailing: PO Box 2603, Friday Harbor, WA 98250 Email: info@hometrust.org.