Obituary
Samuel Joseph Elias (August 18, 1961 – September 4, 2020) passed away peacefully in his home on Friday, September 4th, 2020 surrounded by love from his family, with his beloved Grateful Dead playing in the background. Sam grew up in North Miami Beach, Florida where he met the love of his life, Robyn (Steinfeld) at the age of fifteen. Their love transcended four decades, sharing 35 years of cherished marriage. Sam was an entrepreneur at heart, starting his first business, Computer Classified Incorporated (CCI), in his early 20’s. Although enjoying great success in the IT world, Sam was ready for an exciting new venture. Following the surprise party that Robyn threw Sam for his 30th birthday party in August of 1991, at the WhirlyBall location in Miami, Sam was immediately inspired and energized by the concept. He quickly began researching, strategizing and building WhirlyBall Chicago. January 15th, 1993, marked the opening of the very first WhirlyBall location in the Chicagoland area and that was only the beginning! Nearly three decades later, WhirlyBall is a consumer focused multi-million-dollar institution in Chicago built brick-by-brick by Sam. His legacy is survived by his three sons; Adam Elias, Ryan Elias, and Jacob Elias of whom he was extremely proud. He was their biggest fan, mentor and supporter. He was relentless in cheering them on each day in their studies, on the slopes, and in everything they ventured out to do. At his core, Sam was an explorer with a great sense of adventure and curiosity, and always encouraged his boys to be fearless in order to reach their full potential. His sons adored him and cherish having the opportunity to travel the world together, especially the annual Elias ski and snowboarding trip in the mountains of Colorado. Sam’s love for music was celebrated with everyone who knew him and was a sacred bond he shared with his boys. Sam is predeceased by his father Alvin Elias and is survived by is his beloved wife Robyn, his three sons, his mother Lenore Elias, three big sisters Beth Roscoe, Robyn Mizrachi, Ellen Elias and his nieces Raya and Alexis. He was loved, admired and adored by friends, family, and all who were lucky to cross paths with him. He will be forever missed.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to GomleFund for Dignified Burials, www.gomlefund.org, Feeding Illinois, www.feedingillinois.org, or The Ark-Kosher Food Bank www.arkchicago.org/donate.
The chapel service is private. The service will be live streamed Sunday, September 6, 2020, 1:00 p.m. at www.goldmanfuneralgroup.com. Under Recent Services, click on Sam's photo and scroll down to Service Details. The live stream will begin approximately 15 minutes prior to the service.
Arrangements by Goldman Funeral Group. www.goldmanfuneralgroup.com
Donations
The ARK www.arkchicago.org or FEEDING ILLINOIS