In loving Memory of Samantha L Klabius | October 1965 to December 2022 (official obituary)

Samantha was born in San Jose CA in October 1965. Her father left when she was about two years old and never provided any support or assistance. She was raised solely by her mother Blair (these blue words all open to photos). They spent much time together raising Peruvian Pasos (horses with a smooth ambling gait) together traveling to horse shows all over California and riding in the Rose Parade together a few times. Samantha was very close to her mother. They moved around the Bay Area to many cities. Her favorites were Los Gatos and Santa Cruz. Because they moved around so much she had to attend three different high schools. She graduated high school in 1984.

After high school she was not certain about her career path and followed her boyfriend at the time into the pyrotechnics field (professional fireworks display) and over an approximate 8 year period she helped set up fireworks displays for the Macy's event in New York, at the Statue of Liberty, in Las Vegas (many venues), and at the Hollywood Bowl (to name a few) and finished out her fireworks career working at Disneyland in Anaheim on Fantasmic fireworks and became an employee of Disneyland.

Her mother encouraged her to find a more long-lasting career and so in 1991 she was admitted to the Cal State Long Beach physical therapy program which is a well known prestigious PT program. She graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor’s degree in physical therapy and started working in 1998 at Little Company of Mary hospital in Torrance as a physical therapist. She then moved on to Concentra and finally US HealthWorks (now Dignity Health) and worked in various clinics in Southern California. She was also very proud of her hard earned designations as Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopedic PT and a “Fellow” in Orthopedic Manual PT. She also completed one semester of a Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy at University of Montana but had to withdraw due to her cancer surgery and treatment starting in May 2018.

In the late 1990s she started cycling and joined a women's race team (Velo Allegro) and did a number of races throughout Central and Southern California. By 2001 she was tapering off cycling and bought her first house in Long Beach. She was married in 2003. She bought a second larger house in Long Beach in 2008. She was divorced in 2013 and in August of 2014 met the love of her life (and fiance, Steve) while bicycle training in El Dorado Park. In October 2014 she left physical therapy clinic practice due to work induced injuries and transitioned into teaching physical therapy at Stanbridge College in Irvine California. She loved giving back to the profession in this way and was responsible for educating many “cohorts” of tomorrow's physical therapists and PT assistants. She had to leave teaching in mid 2018 in order to have surgery and chemotherapy treatments for 4 and 1/2 years up until the time she passed away in December 2022.

Her mother passed away in January 2019 in Arizona from complications related to a fall and related strokes along with Cancer.

Samantha was survived by 6 months by her loving Pomeranian Soichiro "So" who succumbed to his own cancer in June 2023 at 12 and a half years old. He was like the child of Steve and Samantha. She is also survived by her fiance Steve who has been left with many wonderful memories of her and Soichiro (and his brother Jack who passed in 2017) She was loved by all who knew her well and will be missed by everyone that met her. Her ashes along with those of “So” are scattered along the coast on a cliff overlooking the ocean north of Cambria, CA. It is the coolest, most beautiful, least crowded ocean view place you can find in California. Endless sunsets. Temps rarely above 70 all summer. Just as she would have wanted. Rest In Peace, Samantha. We love you.

 

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