Aaron Sam

Aaron Douglas Sam, 32, of Casa Grande, died in his sleep on Oct. 1, 2014.

Mr. Sam was born in Mesa on Feb. 7, 1982. He attended Cottonwood Elementary School and Casa Grande Junior High School. Upon graduation from Casa Grande Union High School in 2000, he received Bachelor of Science and Master of Education degrees from Northern Arizona University. He was a teacher in both the Toltec and Casa Grande Elementary school districts.

Though he was born with the birth defect spina bifida, he never allowed the disease to stop him. He played Little League and soccer in his youth, was a trainer for the high school athletic teams and was currently involved in Little League, girls softball league and youth soccer league. He served as a Youth Ambassador for March of Dimes while in elementary school and junior high. He raised thousands of dollars for the Walk America event each year.

He was a lifelong fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia Phillies and more recently, the Arizona Rattlers. One of his greatest thrills was to meet the entire Eagles football team and visit their locker room following a game with the Arizona Cardinals in 1992. He also loved going with "Wildman Phil" Rakoci on his nighttime desert excursions and adored his fiancée’s three girls, Allison, Kelci and Quinn. He packed a great deal into his all-too-short life.

He is survived by his fiancée, Rebecca Wong; his parents, Norman and Deborah Sam of Casa Grande; a sister, Robyn Gift of Mesa; and his maternal grandparents, Robert and Hope Olson of Newtown, Pennsylvania.

A celebration of his life will be held at Anjelica’s, 5225 E. Speedway Blvd. in Tucson, at 5 p.m. on Sunday, the day he and Rebecca were to be married.