fondly recalling the many times our trails crossed, dear Sam

cheers to you Sam for all the good times we had together

Sam, I was doing some cleaning and came across a copy of a map (Chart) you had made for all of us that joined a kayak trip you and Paul Smith planned. It was Silver Islet to Rossport on Lake Superior. Every detail of our route. What a treasure to come across years later. Thanks Sam!
Connie

Sam,
Many of us talk about you and your gentle demeanor and all the various trips we made together.  We all share those memories with great joy for having known you. Thank you for being our friend!

Paul Smith

Happy Birthday Sam! It is wonderful to be reminded of your gentle presence on the occasion of your birthday. It is a pleasure to be counted as your friend.

Miss you my friend. Think of you every time I'm out on the trails.

I think of you every time I go near Moonshine Park. The first time I visited was last summer during my open house. I had to be out of the house for the day so it was a perfect opportunity. Very quiet and peaceful - just like you, Sam.

Sam, I just browsed through our mutual birthday card that started about twenty years ago. Good for great memories and many laughs. Miss you my friend!

Well Sam, soon it will be Thanksgiving and we will b e toasting, here at Sunrock, our friendship with you and all the good times and memories that you have given us over the many years. Miss you my friend!

I never met Mr. Meddaugh, but there is a bench in his name at moonshine park and many an early morning a great horned owl perches on the back. After reading about the mans love for the outdoors, How absolutely fitting.

Think of you often Sam and all the good times we had together and your kind and pleasant presence. With our annual Thanksgiving get together coming up soon we will all miss you and will certainly make a toast to you.

thanks Sam for your influence on all of us.

Paul Smith, October 14th, 2017

Happy Birthday, Sam. You were missed at the 50th anniversary banquet and so many other North Star events.

Have been missing Sam lately. Hiking, orienteering,.. the memory of him sharing the trails with us will last the rest of my life.

My best memory of Sam was a joint celebrations of our May birthdays on a sea-kayak trip to the Apostle Islands in May 1993. Linda Johnson made and transported her delicious apple pie for our cake all the way to Outer Island. The crust had an "S" for Sam and "A" for me. It was a wonderful trip. May Sam continue to have wonderful trips in the hereafter.

Sam - I think of you every time there is a North Star gathering. I miss your quiet, kind presence.

Miss Sam on these fine bright Autumn days, when I expect to come around the bend on the orienteering trail and see him. I know his spirit is there.

Sam - you would be 80 years old today! We miss you and we'll be thinking of you as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the NSSTC next year.

Sam is in our thoughts today

Sam,
Lynn was kind enough to save the birthday card we passed back and forth for so many years. I'll always treasure it. Miss you a great deal as we all do. Thanks for all the good memories!

What a gentle man Sam was. I was on numerous North Star trips with Sam and enjoyed his company and sense of humor. He will be missed, It is my prayer that he's now pain free enjoying the comforts of a higher place. May you Sam , rest in peace. Jane

I knew Sam for a long time and went on many trips. I remember him solving a rope puzzle in less than a minute that my late husband had brought home from the Science Museum. It had stumpted everyone else. At Summerfest, I remember being surprised seeing Sam dancing on Peavy Plaza before the concert. A quiet man who once in a while demonstrated his hidden talents.

I feel a loss in my life, in the North Stars Ski club and in the Wednesday Wanderers (NSSTC sub group).  It was great to catch up on what was happening in Sam's world since I didn't see him as often as I would have liked.  My memories are especially strong with kayak adventures. I remember 2 events in particular.  When kayaking in Lake Huron, Sam (who is a rock solid paddler) got too close to a waterfall and we all watched with great humor as Sam was flipped over! NO danger, but many laughs resulted. Another time, at the end of a local weekend river kayak venture, I carpooled with Sam.  When we got back to the cars after an hour drive, I realized that I was missing a dry bag (containing all my clothes).  He patiently drove me back an hour and we couldn't find my bag at the landing.  So another hour drive back to my car occurred still with great patience on Sam's part.  When loading my kayak on my own car, much to my horror I discovered the bag tucked way back in a corner of the kayak.  I was so grateful that Sam dealt with the whole ordeal with a smile, a chuckle and never mentioned it again!  I miss your gentle spirit, Sam.

Audry and I spent many times with Sam over the years,skiing in Switzerland..hiking in the north woods after Thanksgiving with Paul Smith's group. Sam and I developed a special greeting over time. When we meet "Oh It's Sam". It became just "Samagain" and his reply to me became "Thorsomemore". We will miss his quiet presence on our hikes but we will remember him. Thor and Audry

Sam and I danced in Barcelona in a dance gazebo when the North Stars tripped to Toulouse, France. We had so much fun exploring the city...Al, Sam and I danced, just walked the city eating pastries and drinking coffee and enjoying the ambiance. Sam was a joy to see at
North Star meetings! Always a happy man!

I feel lucky to have met Sam. I always enjoyed catching up with him at orienteering meets, always greeting everyone with a smile and helping out. I remember one of the last times I saw him at an event, he had just gone to the park to volunteer, even though he wasn't going to run the course himself. I also enjoyed the homemade treats he'd bring for potlucks! You will be missed, but not forgotten, Sam!

Sam Meddaugh -- what a gentle man. His stature, his voice, laugh, sense of humor and quiet competence will surely be missed. And he was a good cook! Always brought something homemade to our potlucks. I feel lucky to have known him. We will all miss him.

Sam's steady and sure hands on a ski pole, canoe or kayak paddle, compass, hiking pole or bicycle handle bar along with his dry sense of humor will be missed. My best memory of Sam is sharing a birthday apple pie made by Linda Johnson. We celebrated our May birthdays on a Memorial Day weekend kayak trip in the Apostle Islands in 1993.
We miss your physical presence Sam, but we will always have your spirit with us.

I suppose I met Sam about 1985, when I first joined the Minnesota Orienteering Club. We set courses together once or twice, so I got to spend a little time with him. Most important though was his familiar presence at the club meets. The number of people active in the club that long can be counted on one hand. Seeing him at meets and being able to say hi was a welcome connection across, what is now, three decades. I'll miss seeing him, but will remember him each time I enter the forest.

Thank you, Lynn, for creating this loving tribute to your father. I met Sam in 1982 when I joined the North Star Ski Touring Club. I remember biking, skiing, and hiking with Sam over the years. As a matter of fact, I was just planning to tell him that I no longer need his help finding my way at Lebanon Hills now that the trail signage has improved. Guess I should’ve joined the Orienteering Club too. Sam was a quiet, intelligent, kind and patient man and will be sorely missed.

I've been touched by Sam's steady and gentle presence at orienteering meets over the years. I too have been crossing paths (literally) with Sam on the brown course in recent years and was always so happy to see a familiar, kind face as I was learning the sport. He will be missed by so many. My sympathies.

It was always a good day when we met up with Sam at an orienteering event. Sam and I (Kathi) had a friendly competition on the brown courses. His long legs and orienteering skill most often beat me. I loved discussing the course with him, he was gracious and kind. We will miss him dearly.

Sam was a wonderful, caring, sharing friend, a quiet but very capable leader. He will be missed, and remembered.

Steve and I remember many great trips with Sam. On the water, in the snow or hiking down a trail.
Sam was always happy to be there. He was always fun to be with.

I first met Sam in October of 1982 when he came to Ely for trail clearing with the Sierra Club. He came back at New Years with some North Stars. The next year had him coming back for Thanksgiving here at Sunrock along with fellow North Stars. That annual Thanksgiving tradition has remained right up to now. It's always been good to have him here along with other North Stars. 
Over the years Sam and I have done several trips together. Countless kayak trips to Lake Superior and then to the Thousand Islands of Lake Huron and up to explore Lake Nipigon. Glen Canyon saw us many times with its awesome high cliffs. A great backpacking trip in the Beartooth mountains in 1986 and then up to see the polar bears at Churchill on Hudson Bay back in 2000  It was always good to have his adventuresome , but gentle spirit with us.
Needless to say, Sam will be missed by all who knew him. Keeping his great spirit alive is our legacy.
Thanks you Sam for all the great memories!

Can't believe Sam is gone. I was delighted to enjoy his company at Orienteering meets and at Northstar ski club gatherings. He was a sweet and generous man. We will miss you, Sam!

I'm enjoying seeing and reading about other parts of Sam's very full life. We knew him as a member and officer in the MN Orienteering Club. Unless he was on one of his other many adventures he was at our events. He was always generous with his time helping with registration, starts, and could for sure be relied on to help at the end of the day with picking up controls. And he kept the finances of our club in order for many years now. Even in the last few months while he was ill, Sam would show up at a business meeting or a meet. He didn't go out on a course for the last few months, but he still came to help out. That is the kind of dependable guy Sam was. I'm sad that Sam's quiet manner and calm presence will no longer grace my orienteering weekends. He will be missed out in the forests and prairies.

Having known Sam for many years, it's hard to pick just a few special moments. Walking around the village after a full day of skiing with our ski bunch in Leautasch, Austria in the evenings with the white lights and snowy streets; in Kimberly, B.C. with 5 of the NSSTC skiers skiing in waist deep snow, sharing the padded floor of the loft in the small lodge and always getting our blue/ black socks mixed up in the morning as I'd find a sock that was the length of my arm, "Oopps, guess this must be Sam's" and he showed Linda and I how to "Crotch Plow" in the snow to get down the very steep mountains every day- it was a tough trip; and of course all the ski trips to Camp Northland with the ski marches back to the camp an hour after dark. You have a place in many, many of the NSSTC hearts. You were special, Sam.