Kenneth Samuel Solway

Kenneth Samuel Solway, 77, passed away on February 18, 2017 in Houston, TX. Sam was born in Windsor, Ontario on February 12, 1940 to Gertrude (Brass) Solway and Alex Solway, Jewish refugees from Russia who immigrated to Canada in the 1910's. His father, who owned a furniture store, passed away when Sam was 4 years old. He was raised by his mother with the help of his older siblings Gordon, Bennett, Florence and Morrey. Sam attended Assumption University in Windsor, where he received his bachelor's degree in political science. While in college he met Father Bob Fehr, who inspired him to pursue a career in psychology. It was also at Assumption that he met his wife, Patricia, whom he married in 1964. Sam and Patricia moved to Louisiana that year, where Sam obtained his Ph.D at Louisiana State University in clinical psychology. After graduating in 1968, Sam and Patricia moved to Houston, where he served as the Director of the Clinical Psychology Internship Program at Texas Research Institute in Mental Sciences (TRIMS), mentoring young psychologists and making lifelong friends. Several years after arriving in Houston, Sam and Patricia had their two children, Karen and Aimee. He later transitioned to private practice, sharing office space with his wife who is a clinical psychologist as well. Sam was a proud Canadian who was motivated to get his U.S. citizenship after a surge of anti-immigrant sentiment in the 1990s. He never stopped trying to be a better citizen of the world.

Sam was first diagnosed with lymphoma in 1999, and beat the odds by surviving his illness and a recurrence. He lived to meet his two grandchildren, Isaac and Julia, whom he and Patricia visited in California as often as they could. Sam had a second recurrence of the lymphoma in late 2016, and succumbed to complications of his illness in February 2017.

Sam was a mensch and a lifelong sports fan. His favorite sport was whatever happened to be on TV at the time. He loved spending time with his colleagues and friends, and many people fulfilled both those roles. He also enjoyed meeting new people, eating out, traveling with his wife, reading novels, working out at the Y, interrogating his daughters' friends about their love lives, wrestling with his grandchildren, reminiscing about the past, Bob Seger, the color red, ice water, and Beefeater gin with 4 olives - always four olives . His last wish was for his nurse to turn on the basketball game.

Sam is survived by his loving wife of 52 years Patricia, two grateful children Karen (husband Andy) and Aimee, two hilarious grandchildren Isaac and Julia, a warm and witty brother Morrey and his wife Lenore, many beloved in-laws, and a host of kind-hearted nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 2pm on Sunday, February 26, at Earthman Bellaire Funeral Home at 4525 Bissonnet St in Bellaire, TX. Donations in his memory can be made to Jewish Family Services at jfshouston.org or Catholic Charities at catholiccharities.org.