Louis Anthony "Lou" Samaritan

Louis Anthony “Lou” Samaritan, a man known for his unwavering resolve, endearing personality, and mischievous wit, peacefully transitioned into eternal life surrounded by loved ones at home on March 9, 2024. He is survived by his deeply devoted and loving wife of 37 years, Mary Wehling Samaritan; his daughters, Michelle Samaritan McMahon (Alan) and Jennifer Samaritan (Jonathan); grandson, Hugh Everrett McMahon; and his two sisters, Adrienne Samaritan and Jeanette Samaritan.

Louis, born on October 16, 1947, in New York, NY, was the son of the late Anthony and Jeanette Samaritan. The Samaritans, devout Catholics and integral members of the congregation, emphasized the importance of education, serving their community, and gathering for family meals around the dinner table. On school breaks, you could find Louis working odd jobs or in the mountains developing his lifelong love of the outdoors and activities like fishing and camping, always with a dog by his side.

In June of 1969, Lou graduated from St. John’s University with a B.S. in Marketing and was commissioned as an officer for completing his Army ROTC program. Shortly after graduation, he deployed to Germany to begin his service as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Artillery. In Germany, Louis served as an Executive Officer for Howitzer Battery B and about seven months later began his assignment in Vietnam. He transitioned from active duty into the reserves in August 1971, and his last assignment in Vietnam was as a First Lieutenant for HQ 108th Arty Gp. During active duty, he was responsible for a complement of approximately 100 men and this responsibility continued as Battery Commander in a Reserve Unit at Fort Tilden, New York.

While serving in the reserves, Lou completed his M.B.A. at St. John’s University in 1977, received an Army Commendation Medal in 1984, and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1989 while serving in Logistics at the Pentagon. His civilian jobs were focused on management and training within the FAA and eventually he worked as an Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist for the IRS. Lou retired from the U.S. government in 2004 after 35 years of loyal service and retired from the US Army in 2007.

During his time at FAA, Lou went to donate at the office blood drive, where he would unknowingly meet his future wife Mary, who was an American Red Cross RN working the drive. Lou’s hijinks almost lost him the chance for a first date, until Mary’s supervisor let her know that they knew the same priest. Somehow Catholicism brought together an Italian Yankee and German-Irish Southerner, a miracle of its time! Together they raised two beautiful and successful daughters. Jennifer inherited her dad’s humor and love for gardening, while Michelle inherited her dad’s steadfastness and love for antiquing.

Like many Vietnam Veterans, Lou suffered from health conditions caused by Agent Orange, but he defied medical odds with his remarkable longevity, a testament either to his legendary stubbornness or wife’s superhuman caregiving skills that left doctors in awe of his resilience.

The visitation will be held on March 18th, 2024, from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Wages & Sons Gwinnett Chapel. Funeral mass will be held on March 19th, 2024, at 11:00 AM at St. John Neumann Catholic Church immediately followed by interment at the Georgia National Cemetery with full military honors.

In lieu of flowers, please honor the intersection of Lou’s greatest passions by donating to SD Gunner Fund that trains service dogs for veterans, first responders and children with special needs https://givebutter.com/louissamaritan or Stag Vets Inc. that created the nation’s first Acute Veterans Crisis Agriculture center, Comfort Farms https://www.stagvetsinc.org/donate.

Oh, how we loved him!