Solomon Kella Samuels

Dr. Solomon Kella “Sam” Samuels, beloved husband to Juleen Eichinger and loving father to Alyson and Amanda (AJ Gable) passed away on Thursday, November 28, in Tucson with his loved ones by his side.

Sam was born in the British colony of Burma on October 12, 1932. He endured the World War II occupation of Burma, loss of many family members in the war, and the eventual independence of Burma. Two uncles were physicians, and his father and another uncle worked for the Burma Railways. This inspired a lifelong fascination with trains and a desire to study medicine. Determined to receive an education, he earned his medical degree from the University of Rangoon.

He immigrated to the United States in 1960, where he completed an internship at Youngstown Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio, a residency at Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and a Fellowship at McGill University in Canada before setting up private practice in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In his practice at Borgess Hospital, he specialized in general, vascular, and transplant surgery. He founded the Midwest Vascular Lab and worked for the Kalamazoo Psychiatric Hospital and the VA Hospital.

Throughout his accomplished life, he remained committed to his home country of Burma and to helping those in need. He worked as a doctor at the Mae Sot Clinic in Thailand, serving Burmese refugees, and at the Pun Hlaing Hospital in Rangoon, Burma. He retired from private practice in 2001 and moved to Tucson, Arizona.

Sam was committed to education and lifelong learning. In addition to his medical degree, he earned a Master of Arts in Management from Nazareth College and a Master of Science from Western Michigan University, both in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Growing up in Burma, he had a keen interest in and developed a vast knowledge of Burmese minerals and gems. He earned a GIA Graduate Gemologist diploma.

He had many interests including being an avid and skilled tennis player and taught both of his daughters his love of the game. He loved books and reading, especially history, and wrote and published five books: Rangoon 1941, A Life in Three Acts: My Journey from Wartime Burma to America, Jade and Maw Sit Sit of Burma, Imperial Jade of Burma and Mutton-Fat Jade of India, and Burma Ruby.

He traveled and explored the world and was committed to conservation, making many trips to Africa for photographic safaris in Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa. He was an excellent photographer with a keen eye for details, and he delighted in bird watching and photographing animals in their natural habitat. He also traveled regularly to Burma to research and explore both WW II history and gemstones.

Sam also had an affinity for cars, planes, and trains. He learned to fly and was a licensed private pilot and a connoisseur of British racing cars which he learned to restore and took great pride in driving.

In addition to his wife, two daughters and son-in-law, Sam is survived by a large extended family. He is a loving brother and brother-in-law, uncle, great uncle, and cousin to relatives that span across Washington D.C., Great Britain, Canada, India, and Burma.

To honor Sam’s legacy and commitment to medicine, conservation and helping those in need, donations can be made in his honor to Doctors Without Borders (doctorswithoutborders.org) and/or Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (sheldrickwildlifetrust.org)