Sam passed away on Thursday, January 9, 2025 at The Elliott Community – LTC Residence in Guelph, Ontario, at the age of 95.
Sam was the eldest son of Josef Valeš and Marie Valešová (nee Šebestová), and grew up primarily in central Prague, Czech Republic. He is survived by his youngest brother Jenda and wife Milada, as well as wives of his pre-deceased brothers Daniel (Marta) and Pavel (Alena) while pre-deceased by his own wife Lydia. He is also survived by daughter Jana (Richard) Heemskerk, son Petr (Nomalanga) Vales, as well as grandchildren Kristy (Gbenga), Ben, Maria (Kurt) and Yvonne and five great-grandchildren.
Having finished basic schooling, Sam became a pastry chef, because he liked sweet things. Soon he changed careers, he became a locksmith and worked in industry. As a young adult, Sam was a sportsman, enjoyed skiing, volleyball, hiking, canoeing and travel. Other pursuits included creating small detailed fully coloured drawings of plants and animals. He sang in a church choir and played the musical saw.
He got married in June of 1952 and later had two children. As an adult, he continued his studies while working and became a mechanical engineer. In 1968 the family escaped then Czechoslovakia via Yugoslavia and Austria. The upheaval may have been due to wanderlust, or the oppression of the then communist regime, spurred on by the Russian invasion. For a short time, the family lived in Germany and then emigrated to Canada in January 1969, to Kitchener-Waterloo, where Sam worked and lived until the last year of his life.
Sam had to learn English on immigrating to Canada and worked at several companies before settling into a position at the University of Waterloo. There he worked in what is now Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. His duties included building custom lab equipment and running the drilling rig during the warmer months of the year. Core samples were obtained by diamond bit drilling, often as part of ground water research. While at the University, Sam was an inventor and co-inventor with several patents in his name.
When not working, Sam enjoyed travelling the world, often ‘roughing it’, staying in hostels and eating simply for many weeks at a time. He explored all the continents, perhaps apart from Antarctica. He travelled light, usually only with a shoulder bag, a camera, and a video camera on some trips. Family and friends were able to re-live some of his experiences through slideshows and videos. Extensive travel was made possible by banking overtime hours while doing field work for the University and getting time off in lieu.
After his retirement in September 1994, he continued travelling. Sam also enjoyed spending time with the family at their cottage and taking many family trips. Sam was not afraid to attack any job, could repair and build almost anything. He built canoes, did masonry, plumbing, electrical jobs and more. This ability made him many friends. After building their cottage on Conestogo Lake in 1978, he always wanted to build a house. His desire to build one came to fruition, when in 1989, with the help of his son-in-law and daughter, he was able to realize his wish.
Special thanks are extended to all who assisted Sam in the last stages of his life, when dementia robbed him of his independence. During the past year, the family appreciated all the care givers who looked after him at The Elliott LTC.
A gathering to celebrate Sam’s life will take place in Hilliard Hall, First United Church, 16 William St W., Waterloo, Ontario from 2 to 5pm on Saturday, March 22, 2025 with light refreshments available.
Arrangements entrusted to the WALL-CUSTANCE FUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL 519-822-0051 / www.wallcustance.com.
A tree will be planted in memory of E. Sam Vales in the Wall-Custance Memorial Forest.