Sam Van Browne was an extraordinay man.

He joined Crisis Connections in April 1992 as a volunteer phone worker. In addition to his crisis line shifts, Sam taught many of our courses to volunteers. Although he retired as a volunteer a few years ago, he remained a valued and connected member of the Crisis Connections community.

He leaves a deep legacy with Brownestone. He loved his industry and made life-long, deeply personal friends with the folks he called on. He made the industry a community. He often joked about being like Norm from Cheers - and in a way, he was. When he walked into any given place, nearly everyone knew him, and all were happy to see him. He had a unique gift for remembering the personal details of even casual acquaintances. He remembered birthdays and other important dates, names of pets, and names of spouses and children. He even remembered extracurricular hobbies. He had the natural gift of making people feel good about themselves.

He was a unique man. His loss leaves a significant void in our community.

Cheers to you, Sam Van Browne.