Samuel John Orlando

Samuel John Orlando, 72, went to be with Jesus on Monday, July 6, 2026. Our hearts are broken over this tremendous and unexpected loss.

Samuel was born on October 9, 1953, in Houston to John and Lena Orlando. Samuel was the middle of five children in a family who thrived on hard work, laughter, and lots of pasta. He would enthrall grandchildren with stories of the many antics and adventures of being raised in a family-run grocery store in Houston’s Acres Home community. Samuel attended high school at St. Thomas High School in Houston and graduated from Sam Houston State University with a BA in business.

In 1980 he married Amelia Müecke after a whirlwind romance, and together they raised four daughters. Samuel was an amazing dad. He almost never missed family dinner and showed up for his daughters in whatever capacity they needed. Whether it was a rocky patch in life, a flat tire, or the emotional “emergencies” that were inevitable in a family of four girls, he was there for the most ordinary things that were also the most important things.

Samuel was a man of fervent prayer. He found Jesus as his personal savior at age 25, and never looked back. Samuel would be quick to share about Jesus with anyone and served as a chaplain in prison ministry over the years. Predictably, when a loved one was in a tough spot in life, his first words of advice were always, “God is going to take care of it! You just gotta believe!” While at times this was met with internal eyerolls, in hindsight, he was always right.

When he wasn’t taking care of his real estate brokerage, he could be found working in his barn with their cherished rescue dogs, mowing, building things, and working to improve whatever was in his path. Samuel was a builder at heart – a builder of people, always ready with an encouraging word; a builder of businesses, always entrepreneurial; and a builder in the literal sense of the word as he was always starting or finishing some handyman project (most recently a playset for the grandkids). He would take on fixer-upper projects that no one else would as he could always see the potential of what something could be with some hard work and creative ideas.

Love for music was a running theme in Samuel’s life, and he was often found in his home music studio composing music and playing his guitar and drums.

Samuel and Amelia were married for 46 years, and they did nearly everything together. In recent years, they spent much of their time enjoying the simple pleasures of life together – gallivanting around surrounding areas, exploring good food, and then settling down in the evenings to watch one of their favorite 1940s movies. Their marriage was one that was marked by the gumption, grit, and faithfulness of two people who were committed to one another no matter what. He leaves an incredible void in the lives of family and friends but especially his beloved “Glamour Girl,” Amelia, as he affectionately called her.

Samuel is preceded in death by his father, John Orlando; his sister Mary Jo Campanello; and brother-in-law Robert Pacini. 

Samuel is survived by his wife Amelia; daughters/sons-in-law, Lea and Nathan Simons; Marianna and James Perryman; Michelle and Joshua Isaacs; Rebecca Orlando; and grandchildren, Asher and Jeremiah Isaacs; Elliott and Margaret Perryman; and Luke, Lydia, Anna, and Julia Simons; his mother, Lena Orlando; brother/sister-in-law Vincent and Linda Orlando; sister Olivia Pacini; brother-in-law Larry Campanello; and brother/sister-in-law Mark and Leslie Orlando.