Samuel Ralph Švarný died at his home in Unalaska on Monday, Dec. 8. He was 88 years old.

Sam was born to Martin Švarný and Katerina Vydareny Švarný in Chicago on Oct. 7, 1926. He was raised on a farm in Grand Marsh, Wisc. As a teenager he enlisted in the Merchant Marines, and served in World War II.  He joined the United States Army in 1946 in Chicago and finished his first tour of duty in 1950.

He was stationed in Sitka, and put in for Unalaska. In a 2009 interview for StoryCorps (click to hear his introduction), he remembered how it came about:

Sam Švarný (click to listen): "Seems like the military tried to send me to Kotzebue, and I didn't want to go to Kotzebue, so I volunteered for Adak, and they said okay, we'll cut orders for Adak. And they let me go on a 30 day leave, and when I come back, I found out I was on orders for Kotzebue again.

"So we had a lengthy conversation, and finally they said, well, there's only one other station we've got, and you don't want that -- and that's Fort Mears, Alaska. That was the name for the Army post that was here during the war.

"So I came to Unalaska, unbeknownst to them or they didn't pay attention, I don't know which. But I'd already heard about Unalaska from guys that had been stationed here. And so I was happy that I got this instead of either one of the other two, actually."

In Unalaska, he won the heart of Gertrude Hope. He remembers how it began:  

Sam Švarný (click to listen): "I guess the ongoing relationship started over a Christmas tree. We got a tree, and it was a big tree, and it actually (laughing) was not suited for where we were gonna put it, out in the entryway to the telegraph office. And Gert's family had a small tree, and they have a fairly big-size living room. And I don't know -- we made a trade. It seems that from then on, we just progressed to what, in 1950, became the wedding at the now-known Burma Road Chapel."

That wedding was June 4, 1950. Sam went on to serve his second and third tours of duty in Unalaska.

He recalls an earthquake and tsunami in 1957 that almost prompted an evacuation -- but he trusted that the town would make it through:

Sam Švarný (click to listen): "We looked out between the reef and the shore down there by the church, and the water was just like river rapids. When it changed, it'd be flat for a while and then it'd be running the other way. And in between the dock area, inside the harbor there: a great big whirlpool -- and you could hear it. Anything, logs, stuff that was floating around from the beach, they'd get down in that area, and you'd see 'em just go, whump. Down it went.

"We were parked right next to the tin warehouse that was put up during the war on the dock. And we were inside, and we had an aftershock. And I didn't think there'd be an aftershock -- the way that thing was moving, I thought, we've got a new earthquake. We were inside there, and talk about noise -- all that metal was making all kinds of screeching, pulling on the screws into the woodframe, and Walter [Dyakanoff] says, 'I'm leaving! I'm getting the town out -- getting 'em out of town!' And I says, 'Walter, wait for me! I've gotta turn the Jeep around!' (laughing)

"And that's when I went home and told Gert, don't pay attention to him, there's nothing happening. It’s just an aftershock."

Sam was transferred to Fort Richie, Md. in 1963 to work in the Underground Pentagon. He was a radioman throughout his military career. His final tour took him to Vietnam.

In 1966, Sam retired from the Army, having served in three wars. He won an Army Commendation Medal, his fifth award of the Good Conduct Medal, the Vietnamese Campaign Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.

He settled with his family in Edmonds, Wash., and helped form Northwest Chemical in Seattle, servicing X-ray equipment for medical facilities and reclaiming silver. 

He retired in 1980 and moved back to Unalaska, as he and Gertrude had always intended. In the early 1980s, Sam served on the Planning and Zoning Board, including as chairman. He was the shop foreman for the Ounalashka Corporation and a business partner with his wife, artist Gertrude. 

Sam was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather whose greatest joys were spending time with his family and friends. He made many of them wherever he moved.

Sam was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Karel Švarný. He is survived by the love of his life, Gertrude Švarný; his daughters and spouses, Barbara Švarný Carlson (Michael) of Anchorage, Sharon Švarný Livingston (Caleb) of Unalaska, Diane Švarný (Jim Swinney) of Seattle, Wendy Švarný Hawthorne (Greg) of Anchorage; grandsons, Erik Carlson (Corrie Whitmore), Mischa Carlson, Nicky Hawthorne, of Anchorage, Jacob Hawthorne, Christopher Hawthorne (Linzy), of Santa, Idaho, Scott Syverson (Amber) of Post Falls, Idaho; Sam Švarný and Jason Švarný of Seattle, grand daughters, Alena Syverson, Laresa Syverson, Cassandra Hawthorne of Unalaska; and great-grandchildren, Scott Patrick Lorenzen, Nicholas Costanti, Evan Syverson, Danika Syverson, Elizabeth Garcia, and Sienna Švarný.

A funeral service will be held at the United Methodist Church of Unalaska on Thursday, Dec. 11. U.S. Army personnel will be there to fold a flag for Sam. Visitation will be at 1:30 p.m., with the service at 2:00 p.m. and a potluck reception at the Father Ishmael Gromoff Senior Center at 6 p.m.

For those interested, the family suggests donations to Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 75817, Topeka, Kansas, 66675.