Harriett Yapp Sams

2023 at the age of 104. Born July 29, 1918 in Fort Wayne, Indiana she was the

daughter of Leon C. Yapp and Iva May Allen Yapp. She graduated from South

South Side High School and attended two years at Hillsdale College in Michigan.

She was a member of the Ft. Lauderdale chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma, P.E.O.

Chapter CG and the First Presbyterian Church of Pompano Beach where she

served as a Deacon and Elder and sang in the choir for many years. Harriett

resided at John Knox Village where she loved to volunteer, play bridge, attend

lectures and concerts, and sing in the women’s chorus. She received The John

Knox Hall of Fame Volunteer Award for the outstanding volunteer of the year in

2009. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Nancy Yapp Davis, and

her husband, Harold William Sams.

As a child Harriet was a member of The Children of DAR and Girl Scouts. At ages

10 and 11, she performed as a pianist on Saturday Morning Children’s hour for

radio station WOWA in Fort Wayne. In high school she was a subscription

manager for the award winning school newspaper and a National Honor student.

At Hillsdale college she made the scholastic Dean's list and was on the basketball

and soccer teams. There she became a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

Harriett was employed by The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company and soon

married Harold W. Sams, a civil engineer. His work took them to Philadelphia,

Perth Amboy, NJ, Waterford, NY, and Gary, IN. Later they moved to Western

Springs, IL where Harold ran an office supply business while Harriett was a

homemaker raising their two children, Kenton and Becky.

In Western Springs, Harriett was active in the First Congregational Church,

teaching Sunday School for 15 years, participated in Girl Scouts as an adult leader

and on the Board of West Cook County Council of Girl Scouts, was a Cub Scout

leader, president of Kappa Kappa Gamma, and enjoyed playing tennis at the Salt

Creek Tennis Club in Hinsdale, IL. After 25 years in Western Springs, Harriett and

her husband retired to Pompano Beach in Florida. They enjoyed summers in

Aspen, CO and Big Sky MT camping, hiking, birding, tennis, and riding their two

horses, Aspen and Sky.

Harriett loved to travel. She took many trips with John Knox friends and others all

over the world including to Dubai at age 90, South America at age 93 and took her

last cruise at age 96. At age 100 she fulfilled her bucket list by taking a helicopter

ride.

Harriett is survived by two children, son Kenton Allen Sams of Treasure Island,

FL, daughter Rebecca Jane Bewersdorf (Bill Mahlburg) of The Villages, Florida,

two grandchildren, Kevin Allen Bewersdorf (Annie Pevear) and Robyn Lynn

Beaulieu (Steven), great grandson, Oliver Paul Beaulieu and great granddaughter

Juneau Grace Beaulieu, and nephews, Daniel Brainard Knorr (Sharon), John Allen

Knorr, (Rose Mary), two nieces, Roxanne Louise Yates (Fred) and Andrea Ruth

Crockett Knorr.

A memorial service will be held at John Knox Village in the Village Center

Auditorium, 651 SW 6th St, Pompano Beach, FL on Monday, January 23, 2023.

Donations may be sent in Harriett’s name to American Macular Degeneration

Foundation (AMDF), P.O. Box 515, Northampton, MA 01061 or the John Knox

Village Foundation.