Sam A. Ciliberto

Sam Anthony Ciliberto, the beloved husband of Deborah Loughner, and the loving son of Catherina (Lilliana) Lazzano (Bernie Borowski), passed away on September 27, 2025, and is with our Lord. Sam was born in Cleveland, Ohio and lived his early years in Collinwood, Ohio, with his extended Sicilian Italian family surrounding him. Sam is survived by his loving wife, Deborah Loughner; his loving mother, Catherina (Lilliana) Lazzano; brother, Joe Ciliberto (Cindy); sister, Aisha Temple (John, Isabella). Sam's aunts, uncles and cousins were very dear to him and are listed here with love for all of their support because he maintained close relationships with all of them to his dying day. They all referred to him as Sammy. He is also survived by his aunt, Maria Sciarrabba; his aunt and uncle, Linda and Calo Puzzo; his aunt and uncle, Ida Delguyd and Jim Lomis; aunt, Maria Lazzano; cousin, Gina Torok, who was like a sister to him (Ava and Lydia); cousin, Holly Mihalek (Jay, Lyla, Mya); cousin, Yvonne Shvartshteyn (Dan, Jacob, Luca); and cousin, Michael Delguyd (Olivia, Giada). He was preceded in death by his uncle Gene Gorrell, uncle Sam Sciarrabba, uncle Dominic Lazzano, and uncle Tony Delguyd. Sam often talked about uncle Tony throwing candy up to the balcony for him to catch as a kid, which probably explains his love of sweets; his uncle Gene taking him for rides in his Electra, which probably explains his love of cars; he always referred to uncle Dominic as an inspiring success story; and he could imitate his Uncle Sam and Uncle Calo so perfectly it was uncanny. These men all served as father figures for him. Sam was a force of nature who was enthusiastic, determined and hard working. His charismatic personality made him a favorite wherever he went. He was a creative person with many interests and hobbies that he continuously worked on throughout his life. From building model cars and airplanes as a kid, to remodeling our entire house specifically to our liking, he could make anything. He turned our attached garage into a step down dining room, our basement into an Italian lounge, and our backyard into a stone step down oasis, complete with elaborate landscaping and gardening. He put in a pavilion and a fountain in our yard. He made it into our small but mighty castle and set us up for retiring into a beautiful backyard oasis, complete with a 3 car garage and giant driveway. Every single room in our house is custom built by him and it is his love story to me. I will treasure living there, surrounded by all of his love, for the rest of my life. Sam's other hobby was music; he was a lifelong drummer who played daily with his God given talent. Our house was always filled with his music. Family parties always included Sam playing, often with the kids. Sam's mother bought him his first set of drums at a very early age, as he used her pots and pans as a toddler to play on and she wanted to encourage his talent. Sam also played for years on our Pilgrim Lutheran Brethren Church worship team where he made many dear friends. He was known by name at Stebal Drums, and was there so often I was also known by association. Sam also loved cars- he owned 3 and a motorcycle at the time of his death, all pristinely maintained, and all distinctively customized. Sam was always out in the garage tinkering with his cars. For his 60th birthday he drove a Lamborghini at the Nelson Ledge's racetrack and had a blast. Sam had a gift for making everything more beautiful. Sam was a lifelong learner, always curious about new things and exploring our world. Sam's best traits were his friendly demeanor and his amazing sense of humor. Sam's magnetic personality made everything better and more fun wherever he went. He approached life with exuberance and fun. When he married, Sam became an important member of the Loughner family as well. They are also heartbroken at his passing. He is survived by his mother-in-law, Susan Loughner; his loving brother-in-law who was like a brother to him, Kenny Loughner (Lexie and boyfriend Peter Devine, Kyan, Mya, his constant sidekick); and brother-in-law Justin Loughner (Hannah and boyfriend Devin Ardelitz, Justin). His father-in-law, Ken Loughner, who loved him dearly, preceded him in death. Sam and I hosted week long sleepovers every summer for our nieces and nephews, and since Sam was a big kid himself, he was their favorite playmate. Sam loved to have fun no matter what he was doing. An important part of Sam and Debbie's life were their beloved pets. Their Golden Retriever, Maxx, who they started their marriage with, passed in 2013. Sam chose Rosie the bulldog, their dog of 12 years, and Debbie chose their cat of 14 years, Smoky, who were both important members of our little family that both passed away last year. We adopted our current dog, Rooster, in June and he was Sam's shadow. He fell at Sam's feet when we met him at the shelter, and Sam fell in love instantly. I am glad he will keep me company in the years to come. Sam lived a life in recovery and was a grateful member of AA. Sam was a faith filled person who loved God. The last thing he would do before we left the house was put on his cross necklace. The last thing he did at night was to get down on his knees and pray before he got into bed. I know when he died his soul blazed out in a burst of light straight into Heaven where God was waiting with his arms open to welcome him home. His soul is with Jesus now, and I know I have the world's mightiest guardian angel looking over me, until I join him someday. Godspeed, my love. Donations in his memory can be gratefully made to the Cleveland chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous or to City Dogs of Cleveland, where we adopted Rooster. Friends and family to gather to pay tribute to Sam on Saturday, October 4, 2025, from 1-3pm and 4-7pm at Monreal Srnick Funeral Home, 35400 Curtis Blvd. Eastlake. A Funeral Service will be held at 7pm also at the funeral home.

Sam A. Ciliberto

January 25, 1965 - September 27, 2025

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