Samuel Dale Draper

Samuel Dale Draper died at Plantation Memorial Hospital, Florida on June 5th, 2020.

He was born on May 8th, 2020 weighing just over a pound, and he spent his life fighting valiantly in the NICU. Even though his life on Earth was short, it was a miracle. His sweet spirit has manifested itself in many ways in the days since his passing, providing peace and comfort to his family.

Samuel is survived by his Adoptive parents Randon and Anne Draper; brothers Andrew (Crystal Anderson), Daniel (Zoya), Parry (Briana), and Branson (Eden) Draper; sister, Shayla (Dagan) Holbrook; and his nieces, Zahra and Eliza, and nephew, Lorenzo. He is also survived by his birth mother, who asked not to be named, but is nevertheless in our hearts.

He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Parry Dale and Lawana Atwood Draper, and Gordon (Gordy) and Shirley Jensen.

Little Samuel only opened his eyes a few times in life, but when he did, it was often because he heard another baby crying nearby. He was determined and curious. His attending nurse referred to Samuel as a gentle soul. We wish we had had time to get to know him better.

The Draper family wishes to extend our most heartfelt gratitude to the many angels on both sides of the veil. Samuel was fortunate in his friends, and he had many devoted and loving people working tirelessly on his behalf. We are so grateful to Samuel’s birth mother, who shared the gift of life with him and selflessly worked with the agency to provide him with a loving family. Our sincere thanks go to the many dedicated health care providers at Plantation Memorial Hospital (Florida), as well as Van Orsdel Funeral Services (Florida) and Larkin Sunset Gardens for their kind, professional care of Samuel and their support and assistance in bringing him home to Utah. Gratitude goes as well to Heart to Heart Adoptions for the gift of our son and brother Samuel, and for the love and concern the dedicated staff members have shown Samuel and our family. Finally, we are grateful to Lonn Litchfield for generosity for providing his legal services.

Samuel will be laid to rest in a family plot, near his maternal grandparents. An afternoon viewing will be held on Wednesday, June 16th, 2020 from 2:30-3:00 pm at the Larkin Sunset Gardens (1950 E 10600 S, Sandy, UT 84092) followed by a graveside service at 3:00 pm. Services will also be live-streamed via Zoom.

The family encourages donations to Graham’s Foundation (https://grahamsfoundation.org), a charity devoted to the care of premature babies, in Samuel’s memory.

STREAMING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Joining by computer

a. Go to zoom.us in any internet browser

b. Click “join meeting”

c. Enter the meeting id – 829 3584 0814 Password: 717519

d. A box will open saying “https://zoom.us wants to open this application”. Click “open zoom”

e. Click “Join with Computer Audio”

f. Click “Mute” in the bottom left hand corner so that your audio does not interrupt the funeral services

2. Joining by phone or iPad

a. Download the Zoom app

b. Open the app and select “join a meeting”

c. Enter the meeting id - 829 3584 0814 Password: 717519

d. Select “join without video”

e. Select “Call using internet audio”

f. Select “mute” in the bottom left hand corner so that your audio does not interrupt the funeral services.