Help for Sam Ayala's Family

We are saddened to hear about the passing of our dear friend Santiago "Sam" Ayala. We are starting this Go Fund Me to help the family with costs to help cover their travel to Puerto Rico to view and access Sam's body as well as funeral expenses.

Obituary:

Santiago Ayala Obituary

Santiago Ayala, 59, of Monrovia, Maryland, passed away on November 14 at the Hospital of the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Santiago, or Sam as he was known to friends, was born on July 24, 1965 in Bronx, New York to Santiago Ayala and Marta Arroyo. He attended Newtown High School in Queens before joining the United States Army in 1989 where he became a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg (now Camp Liberty), North Carolina before serving in Germany where he was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Desert Shield and then the Iraq war known as Operation Desert Storm where he earned the highly coveted Expert Infantry Badge. After Germany and a brief break from the Army, he rejoined the US Army and was stationed in South Korea where he met his wife, Mellissa (Lisa to friends and family). He went on to have a successful career at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) first as an electrician, a planner/estimator and then as the Facility Manager for the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) and was known for his dedication and love for his work. After retiring from NIST in May 2024, Sam started working part time for Flying Lions and began flying drones for the Montgomery County Drone as First Responder program. He achieved his long-held dream of becoming a pilot by providing air support to 911 and police generated calls for service. It was a source of true happiness for Sam.

Sam was a loving husband to Lisa for over 29 years, a proud father to Alejandro, 28, and Isabela, 22, and a devoted grandfather to Luna, Isabela's cat. He is also survived by his mother, Marta Arroyo, and stepfather, Hanley Albahae, his brother, Stephan Ayala, and his nephew, Raimundo Ayala. He was preceded in death by his father, Santiago Ayala, Sr and nephew, Saif Bryant.

Throughout his life, Sam was passionate about spending time with family, flying, veteran's issues, and his fur babies: Max, Shadow and Millie. He loved heavyweight boxing, karate movies and being continuously disappointed by the NY Giants. His determination for accomplishing his passions, discipline instilled in him from the military and sense of humor touched the lives of all who knew him. He was known for always being early to every event, giving advice on any subject and always keeping his family close.

A memorial service to celebrate Sam's life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to DAV Disabled American Veterans in his honor.

He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing him the way we did. Santiago Ayala