Samuel L. Belden

Samuel Lawrence-Albert Belden, 50, of Kent, returned to nature on August 11, 2020, at the Cleveland Clinic after a valiant struggle with a debilitating disease. The world lost one of its most brilliant minds, a freethinker without parallel, on that day.

Sam was born at Robinson Memorial Hospital on January 16, 1970, to two college students who married young, George and Helena Belden. A member of the Streetsboro High School Class of 1988, he was a three-sport athlete, lettering in wrestling, football and golf. He earned the Presidential Scholarship to Mount Union College. He played on the Purple Raiders' golf team, and graduated with his bachelor's degree in English, going on earn his Masters Degree in English Literature as a teaching fellow at Kent State University.

Sam's first job was writing synopses of daily events, to be pushed to the computer desktops of harried businessmen. In  1999, he helped found ComparisonMarket, one of the first on-line auto insurance agencies.  Moving on, he became Vice President of Insurance.com for ten years; journalists frequently called on Sam to act as the spokesman for trends in the insurance industry. His sense of humor, kindness, and humility were an inspiration to his colleagues.

Sam was an avid fan of high school playoff football, Mount Union football, the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Browns, and the Ohio State Buckeyes. He was an inveterate reader, often consuming a book a day, and his love of Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, and John Fogerty fueled his insatiable appetite for innovative rock and roll.

But by far, Sam's greatest joy in life was his two daughters, Hannah and Grace, who are both current students at Ohio State University.  Biking, hiking, and especially cooking with them were the happiest of times, enabling him to become quite an accomplished culinary artist. Sam loved his girls truly and deeply, and their compassionate journey through life will carry his influence forever.

Keeping Sam's memory alive will be his parents, his daughters, his former wife Molly, who cared for Sam until the end, numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and his brother's children Griffin, Madison and especially Spencer, who counted Sam as one of his best friends.

Preceding Sam in passing are his beloved brother Garth, with whom he shared many bonds, and his grandparents, Harold and Mary Belden and Ibrahim and Ida Kukuljevic, his Opa and Oma.

Cremation, a family tradition, has taken place, and there will be no services. At a later date, there will be a Celebration of the memories that Sam has left to us.

As a last tribute, Sam would have really appreciated it if, in his memory, you would consider making a small contribution to the Windham High School Student Food Pantry, c/o Crystal Hickman, 9530 Bauer Avenue, Windham, Ohio 44288.