Sam Preisner

Preisner, Sam Age 90, passed away Thursday, July 31, 2014. A Graveside Service will be held Monday, August 4, 2014 at 12:45 pm, Santa Fe National Cemetery, 501 N. Guadalupe St, Santa Fe, NM Facts: Sam Preisner Born: 10/10/1923 Died 7/31/2014 2nd Lieutenant Army / Air Corps / Navigator Survived by: Wife: Beatrice Mandelbaum Preisner Children: Francine Preisner Ball, Michael Preisner, Madeline Preisner Swartz Grandchildren: Ilyse Ball, Deborah Ball, Geoffrey Ball Ariana Preisner, Emma Preisner Great Grandchldren: Benjamin Ball, Lauren Ball Sam Preisner �The Gem of the Ocean� was loved by all. We are so fortunate to have known and loved Sam. He was the best father ever. His gentle, loving, capable presence gave us a sense of peace and safety and his love of laughter and family brought happiness into our home. The beautiful jewelry he created and his excellent craftsmanship kept him busy at work but he was always generous with his time and talent. With his creativity and ability to make things he provided everything our family needed and inspired us to be creative and make things as well. Whether it was furniture for our bedrooms, tile, tables and eventually a whole house, or helping us with model kits and photography projects down in the basement, whatever we needed, our father could make. He always made time for our projects and was enthusiastic of a project well done. On weekends we would go on excursions, museums in NY city, the Bronx Zoo, nature hikes and fishing. We dug clams with a pitchfork and a bucket, and fished from the wall in Oyster Bay or rented a boat for our small outboard motor and went out for snappers. In the winter we would often go beachcoming at Jones Beach, deserted at that time of year, we could search for treasures and stop for a bowl of clam chowder on the boardwalk. Sometimes on the drive, Sam would turn off the clatter of AM radio in the car and, after the silence set in, suddenly burst into song, in strong voice replacing �Columbia� with �O Sam Preisner the Gem of the Ocean� causing us all to laugh. That�s all of the song he ever sang. His appreciation of nature and curious mind led Sam to turn our backyard in Syosset, New York into a bountiful garden and small orchard with 10 peach trees and 2 apricot trees. In the summer we had corn and watermelon and every color of vegetable. In the winter he would frame out the garden plot, line it with plastic and fill it with water. We were the only kids in the neighborhood who had their own ice rink. In Loxahatchee, Florida he cleared almost 6 acres of Palmettos, built a house and planted a tropical rain forest with every type of semi-tropical fruit tree that would grow there. He sent boxes to us, Carambolas, Black Sapotes, Lychees. A visit to the house in Florida would always include a tasting excursion and interesting botanical information about each type of tree. He grafted the trees and sold the starts through the Rare Fruit Club and volunteered at their booth at the County Fair where he could enlighten those interested in the strange looking fruits on display, with information about growing their own. Sam was very proud to have been a Lieutenant BTO in the Army/Air Corps. His war stories and experiences were mostly at high altitude but he was on the ground long enough to be given the nickname �Kamikaze Sam�after he wiped out a fence driving Japanese prisoners of war to their work detail. Having grown up in the Bronx, Sam didn�t know how to drive a big truck and the prisoners feared for their lives. Sam returned to the Bronx after the war and handsome in his uniform, with a chest full of medals and a shiny new car won the heart of beautiful young Beatrice Mandelbaum. They married soon after and remained together for 67 years. Sam will be greatly missed. He is survived by his wife Beatrice, children Francine, Michael and Madeline, grandchildren Ilyse, Deborah, Geoff, Ariana and Emma and great grandchildren Ben and Lauren. Our sweet, kind, loving, gentle father Sam will remain in our hearts forever. Sam Preisner the Gem of the Ocean. Daniels Family Funeral Services 2400 Southern Blvd Rio Rancho, NM 87124 505-891-9192