Samuel John Ortiz

Samuel John Ortiz, 85, passed away on January 16, 2023 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was born on March 29, 1937 in New York, New York to Juan and Nellie (Lopez) Ortiz. Sam's parents immigrated to America from Puerto Rico, making Sam and his siblings first generation Americans. Sam was the youngest of four. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens, New York, specifically Ozone Park. At the age of seventeen, Sam enlisted in the Army, where he spent time in Ulm, Germany and then Fort Carson, Colorado, serving a total of three years. After the Army, he lived in Wallingford, Connecticut before returning to Colorado Springs, Colorado, calling it home for sixty-three years. His younger years were spent working with/for his in-laws at their Putt-Putt golf course in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Later, he sold insurance, and then cars, for Daniels Chevrolet. He had played in a band, and also acted in a local play, "Twelve Angry Men." At age twenty-nine, he received his private pilot license. He loved everything sports. He was a New York Yankees fan by birth, and a University of Colorado fan by marriage. He was talented in that he could build things, from small structures to furniture. He had a love for hiking and the outdoors, especially the desert region of the Southwestern United States. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He was preceded in death by his brother, Joe Carrasquillo, during WWII; and his granddaughter, Crystal Ortiz. He is survived by his wife, Dana; daughter, Robin (Mike); son, Phillip (Diane); sister, Rosalina Rodriquez; brother, David (Shirley); two nieces and their husbands; two nephews and their wives; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.