Samuel Christian Neubauer died on March 2, 2020, following his battle with cancer. Sam was born on July 16, 1972, in Miami, Florida, and spent his childhood in Miami and Portland, Oregon. He attended Coral Gables Senior High and graduated from South Oldham High School in Crestwood, Kentucky, after his father moved there for work.

Upon graduation from high school, he joined the Marine Corps and went to Parris Island, South Carolina, for basic training. He was the honor graduate of his platoon at graduation from Boot Camp. Afterward, he spent time in Iraq as part of Desert Storm and in Somalia as part of Operation Restore Hope. He finished his service as a corporal at Camp Pendleton, California.

Sam moved to Gainesville in 1994 for college. In 1998, he moved to San Francisco, where he worked in information technology. He began studying to be an EMT, took up surfing, met his future wife, Michelle, decided he wanted a career in firefighting, and began working toward that end. In 2010, he graduated from the paramedic course at UCLA. He worked for several years in that high stress area of being a firefighter and later took the exam to become an engineer. He drove the big rigs with great pride, as his heart was in his profession and he loved everything to do with his job. The many stations where he worked in Los Angeles County over the years included Hawthorne, Lynwood, La Puente, Marina del Rey, and Calabasas.

In 2015, Sam’s son, Jameson, was born, and Sam became a committed father to this beautiful child. Because Sam lost his own father to cancer, he dedicated himself to being the best he could be for his son. Sam was a waterman. He loved surfing, particularly at “The Point” in Malibu. He sailed his sailboat and paddled his race SUPs in the Pacific. He could be spotted riding his motorcycle or hiking through the canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Sam’s legacy was family, living life to the fullest, service for others, and brother/sisterhood. His laugh, smile, and love are remembered fondly and missed by his family, friends, and his firefighter brothers and sisters.