Samuel Moore, Giving His All Until the Very End

On Monday, March 9, 2015 Samuel Moore, Ceramco’s Ceramic Engineer was not at work, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t working. That Monday Sam was giving his all, participating in a Make-A-Wish Foundation fundraiser at the Wildcat Ski Area in Pinkham Notch, NH. The event: “100,000 Vertical Foot Challenge,” was to be the last challenge of Sam’s life. Authorities say Sam, an experienced skier, lost control, veering off the path and into a tree-covered area and over a cliff.

Sam joined Ceramco, Inc. in October of 2011 as a Ceramic Engineer. One might immediately envision such a position being filled by an egghead in a lab coat who never ventured beyond his office or lab. Just as Sam tackled the Challenge at Wildcat, he was always “hands-on” at Ceramco. His clear understanding not only of the science of ceramics, but of its manufacturing process, made Sam an incredibly versatile and valued asset.

“When something needed doing to meet a deadline, or just to fill a gap in our workforce, Sam rolled-up his sleeves doing whatever he could to help,” said Thomas Henriksen, Ceramco’s President. “Ceramco is a small business in which I, as its President, am actively involved. Sam once said to me: ‘you can’t do everything Thomas, let me help.’ I soon learned to trust that Sam could and would do whatever it took and would do it very well.”

Similarly outside of work, if Sam saw opportunity to do something he was interested in, he got involved. His interests were broad including not only skiing, but mountain biking, boat restoration and the dream of one day building his own greenhouse. “Sam wanted to learn to prune trees, so he took a local course. One weekend, chainsaw in hand, Sam helped me with my apple orchard,” recalls Henriksen of Sam’s diverse interests and skills. As recently as this year, Sam had planned to take a local pottery class. “He only recently moved to North Conway NH. It is likely the class would have been more an opportunity to meet people.” said Henriksen, “He undoubtedly knew more about pottery and ceramics than the instructor.”

Sam’s sacrifice at the Make-A-Wish Foundation fundraiser at the Wildcat Ski Area is a testament to his willingness to always do whatever it took, as in this instance he literally gave it his all. Everyone at Ceramco will miss Sam and extend their deepest condolences to his family.