Samuel "Sammy" Jay Novosad was born on August 20, 1972 in El Reno, Oklahoma and was raised in Yukon, Oklahoma. He went to be with God on April 28, 2016 surrounded by many family and friends. Sammy was the middle of three sons born to Sam and Nancy Novosad who are of Czech ancestry.

His love for sports started at a very young age playing competitive events in the backyard with his brothers or on the farm with all his relatives. Sammy played Little League and was always a good athlete making many All-Star teams. In high school, he excelled in wrestling at Yukon. Sammy was selected to participate in the Las Vegas Wrestling Open, a major national event. He was also a member of the USA Freestyle Oklahoma team that won the National Team Championship. Their team photo is placed in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater. Sammy graduated from Yukon High School in 1990 and earned a wrestling scholarship to Northeastern Oklahoma University in Miami, Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys were his favorite team and he attended OSU in Stillwater, Oklahoma studying Marketing where his "orange pride" grew even stronger. Sammy moved to Tulsa after college where he began his career in sales and marketing which included 15+ years with AT&T. He also loved cheering for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New Orleans Saints and Montreal Canadians.

In 2000, Sammy met Gena who shared his love for enjoying life, OSU and sports. She was perfect for him in so many ways that they even shared the same birthday. To make this date extra special they got married on August 20, 2005 in Las Vegas with many family and friends attending.

They were inseparable with extensive trips cruising to several of the Caribbean islands as well as traveling to Canada, Alaska, and Mexico. These adventures included taking a dog sled ride, practicing to speak French and Spanish, snorkeling and this last year he enjoyed a life-long dream to see the Los Angeles Dodgers in LA. Additionally, they enjoyed spoiling their dogs Lucky and Ross, dining at Tulsa Brookside and spending time with family and friends. Sammy loved meeting people from all around the world with an ability to make friends with anyone from anywhere.

Sammy is survived by his wife Gena, parents Sam and Nancy Novosad, brothers Chris Novosad and David Novosad, sister-in-law Chloe Novosad, grandmother Sylvia Benda and many loving uncles, aunts, cousins and friends. He is preceded in death by his grandparents Sam and Alfreda Novosad, grandfather Jerry Benda and his dog Lucky.

If you wish, any donations or contributions can be to:

Pet Adoption League
P.O. Box 700934
Tulsa, OK 74170-0934

Or the charity of your choice.

Visitation: 5:30 -8:00 p.m. Monday and Funeral Service: 2:00 p.m. Tuesday both at Fitzgerald Southwood Colonial Chapel, 918-291-3500