Salvatore (Sam) Paolucci, 83, passed away at 2:00am on May 27, 2017 while under Hospice care. He was born August 4, 1933 in Binghamton, NY. Sam proudly served our country in the Air Force during the Korean War until 1955. He worked a variety of jobs, until he moved to Carbondale, IL to attend college at SIUC, and this is where he met his wife, Carol. Sam married Carol Ann Reinhold on July 14, 1962, then completed his education, eventually obtaining a Master’s Degree in Education.

Sam was preceded in death by his parents, Pio and Domenica Paolucci; his brothers: Umberto (Al) and Armando (Armand); and one sister, Franses Mary (Franny).

Surviving are his wife, Carol; one daughter, Samantha (Skip) Sponeman; and one son, Aaron (Bernadette) Paolucci. Also surviving are 4 granddaughters, Miranda, Hailey, Grace, and Nina, and 1 grandson, Maximo. He also leaves behind one sister, Angelina (Paolucci) Lowe. Sam and Carol resided on Dunlap Lake for 50 years. They would have celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary on July 14, 2017.

Sam retired from teaching in 1994, after a 27-year career of teaching 5th and 6th grade. He couldn’t wait to get up in the morning to get to school. He loved helping to develop each child’s self-esteem, and stimulating their passion for learning in unusual and innovative ways.

Sam was always busy fixing anything he could, from lawnmowers, bicycles, lamps, to plumbing. He was great at taking things that were thrown away, restoring them, and getting them back to people who could use them. He was willing to help anyone at any time, and saw value in everyone.

Visitation will be from 10-11:30 a.m. Friday, June 2, 2017 at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Edwardsville. A funeral service will immediately follow. A luncheon will be served following the service. If anyone has any memories of Sam they'd like to share, please notify the family. He was fond of saying “My heart soars with the eagles!”

Please send any donations to Hospice of Southern Illinois or American Cancer Society.

Affiliations

US Air Force