Obituary of Samuel E. Kibler

KENT – Samuel E. Kibler, 62, went home to Heaven and to His Lord, Jesus December 15, 2014. Born in Canton, he was a Kent resident since 1984 and had been employed as Vice President, Human Resources Vice with Hallrich Inc. Mr. Kibler worshiped at Christ Community Chapel, where he was a member of the worship team both at the Hudson and Highland Square campuses. Sam was a lifetime musician (bass player) and at the moment of his conversion, knew that the Lord had given him that gift in order to praise God. He leaves a legacy of the love of God first, his wife and his family, and many dear friends. His passion was in praise of the Lord, Jesus. Besides his passion for his Lord, his family, and his music, Sam had a passion for people. During his battle with cancer, colleagues often reported how Sam set a fabulous example for everyone on how to manage a major illness, personal life and work life at the same time. He loved his work at Hallrich, and more importantly, he loved his Hallrich family. Sam joined the Hallrich Company (dba Pizza Hut) on January 1, 1977, in Alliance Ohio, as a cook. Under his tutelage; many careers began. His own career journey saw him grow from cook, to assistant manager, to manager, to area manager and operations director. Seeing his talent with people, the owners of the company promoted him to Director of Human Resources and then Vice President of Human Resources; and he served admirably in these two capacities since 1989. Hallrich grew from 13 to 102 Pizza Huts with Sam hiring and training, developing and mentoring many of the team members within the Company. In 2011, parent company Pizza Hut, Inc. awarded Sam and his HR department the coveted People Excellence Award, a national award recognizing Pizza Hut franchise organizations that demonstrate outstanding leadership in people capability. He is survived by his beloved wife of 37 years, Lisa; his father Leroy Kibler; sisters Amy Bednar, Jenny Lupton and Barbara Kibler; niece Keli Nicole (Jamie) Ford and their children Drew, Halli, Bronson and Alyxandria and niece Jennafer Rae (Matt) Seaman. Sam was blessed to call Keli and Jennifer “daughters,” and their husbands, “sons.” He also treasured his sister-in-law, brothers-in-law and many other nieces and nephews. Pastors Jim Colledge and Marshall Brandon will conduct a celebration of life service Thursday 11 AM at Christ Community Chapel, 750 W. Streetsboro St., Hudson 44236, where friends may call from 10 AM until service time. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Christ Community Chapel (specifically for Highland Square campus) and mailed to the church address above. The family wishes to thank the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and University Hospital for their compassionate and excellent care