Samuel Thomas Leitheiser

Sam Leitheiser was born in Harlingen, Texas to George, an Air Force officer, and his wife Becky. They moved around the country quite a bit when Sam was small due to the military job of his father. He lived with his family in Texas, Florida, Arkansas, and finally Ridgecrest, California, where he graduated from high school.

After his high school education was over, he attended Cerro Coso Community College in Ridgecrest and then Laney College, studying computer science. He then moved to Berkeley, California, where he took more computer classes and began working in computer services and IT. He became the youngest IT manager at California Canners and Growers in San Francisco. He then moved on to work at an insurance computer services company, also in San Francisco, where he met his wife Shelly.

Sam and Shelly worked in San Francisco and lived in Berkeley and then Oakland for a few years, and then decided to move to Minnesota, where Shelly was originally from, for a less stressful life. It was a big change of scenery for Sam, and Shelly enjoyed showing him how living in Minnesota was done—especially camping and surviving cold snowy winters.

They were married in November 1987 in St. Cloud, MN, and then bought a house on the east side of the city. Shelly worked as an artist and Sam worked for a number of computer departments in related companies: Zapp Bank, Bankers Systems, Perot Systems, Dell, and then NTT Data.

When he wasn’t working, Sam grew to love camping with Shelly and enjoying the huge amount of lakes in Minnesota. He learned how to go ice fishing and regular fishing, and he even learned the wild card games Shelly’s family always played at get-togethers. He bought a classic Harley and enjoyed driving around on his motorcycle—both in Minnesota and in Georgia.

Sam and Shelly also enjoyed traveling to many places in Central America and visiting many ruins, caves, and islands. Sam climbed a lot more Mayan ruins and temples than Shelly was able to because he had absolutely no fear of heights, and they both loved snorkeling.

In 2014, Sam’s job with NTT Data brought them to live in the Atlanta, Georgia area. His work was at GPI’s offices in Sandy Springs until the COVID shutdowns.

Sam very much enjoyed living in Marietta, and he loved Georgia. He and Shelly drove across the country and arrived in Georgia right after the 4th of July, 2014. They visited new state parks, new lakes, and realized they could now drive to the ocean and enjoy Georgia’s beaches. Sam drove to the coast with Shelly every summer, and they especially loved visiting St. Simons Island, Tybee, Savannah, and any roadside stand that sold peaches. He also helped Shelly set up for many art fairs she was a part of.

After the COVID shutdowns, Sam worked in his office at home and was happy in his IT job as an SAP Basis Administrator. He enjoyed working with all his fellow workers both at NTT and GPI. He was very devoted to his work and his life with Shelly. They had a lot of plans to travel more.

In more recent years, Sam developed COPD, and then COVID. After that, he was reliant on medical devices to help him breathe. In June, he acquired pneumonia and ultimately lost the fight for his life on July 17th.

He is survived by his loving wife, Shelly; his faithful rescue dog, Kodi; his brother, Chris Leitheiser of California; brothers-in-law Randy (Cindy) Hilgren in Massachusetts and Scott Hilgren in Minnesota; sister-in-law Diane (Bob) Gambrel in Minneapolis; and nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents, George and Becky Leithiser, and his mother- and father-in-law, Darlene and Larro Hilgren, who lived in Minnesota.