Sam Lanza — veteran, advocate, dies at 92
WARREN — Samuel E. Lanza, the beloved area military veteran who was known for his continuous advocacy for all veterans for more than 60 years, died Saturday at age 92.
His great-granddaughter, Estacia Martz of Warren, said Lanza will be remembered most for his generosity, kindness and dedication to the area.
“He dedicated over 60 years of his life to this community. He was always helping others. He did a lot to help disabled veterans and even took money out of his own pocket when they needed help,” Martz said.
Herm Breuer, administrator of veterans services at the Trumbull County Veterans Service Commission, said he was saddened to learn the news and remembered Lanza fondly as his mentor.
“He always said a veteran is a veteran, and they should all be treated with dignity. His tradition was he was an advocate for the disabled veterans and making sure they were taken care of,” Breuer said.
Lanza, a Marine Corps corporal who served in World War II, was so instrumental in bringing local services and programs to benefit veterans that he was chosen as the namesake for the Trumbull County Samuel E. Lanza Veterans Resource Center that opened in 2015 in downtown Warren.
“Who ever heard of a building being named after a corporal?” Lanza often joked to many friends and relatives in the months leading up the building’s dedication.
“He always said he didn’t feel he deserved to have it named for him, but so many others said he did,” Martz said.
During a 2014 ceremony introducing Lanza as the building’s namesake, Breuer said, “He would transport veterans to the VA in Cleveland at his own expense. He would put a veteran in need in his car and take them to the shoe store for work boots so they could get a job. He’d take the last dollar from his wallet to hand to a fellow veteran in need … He is the one that has instilled in most of us here today that ‘… a veteran is a veteran … is a veteran.’ “
Lanza was awarded the Purple Heart after being seriously injured April 22, 1945, on the Pacific island of Okinawa by a satchel charge, which is a Japanese-thrown explosive device.
Here at home, he became an advocate for veterans by serving with the Disabled American Veterans for more than six decades, even serving as a state commander for a period, as well as serving as a member of the Veterans Service Commission. In 2008, he was inducted in the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.
When Breuer began his job as veterans services administrator here, he said Lanza was serving as a commissioner on the local veterans service commission board, a position Lanza had held for 20 years.
“He mentored me and familiarized me with the services provided to veterans,” he said.
Lanza will be remembered for his service not only to veterans, but to the public as well, Breuer said.
Lanza’s granddaughter, Sandy Martz of Warren, recalled her grandfather and her grandmother, Shirley Lanza, coordinating the annual Memorial Day parade, helping to organize the program and scheduling speakers in downtown Warren.
Sandy Martz said Lanza always made sure every veteran’s grave in Warren had flags placed properly for Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
“He was very loved by so many people. People appreciated all that he did,” she said.
Funeral arrangements are pending at Sinchak and Sons Funeral Home in Warren. Lanza will be laid to rest in Pineview Cemetery.
bcoupland@tribtoday.com
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