Charles Samek, 83, died on Oct. 22, 2024. He had been a member of Local 802 since 1964. Mr. Samek was a composer and a multi-instrumentalist who played clarinet, oboe, flute, piccolo, saxophone, piano and violin. “He loved to make music,” said his daughter Genevieve. “He was born in Missouri but he always said that it was fate that brought him to New York City.” Mr. Samek worked on several movies, including “Serpico” and “Cousins.” Later in life, he became a designer and builder of violins and violas. Mr. Samek is survived by his sisters Martha, Barbara, Mary and Jeanne; brothers Michael and Eddie; daughter Genevieve; son Charles “Chuck” Jr.; grandchildren Silvanna, Anthony, Nicole and Michaela; great-granddaughter Milena; niece Angie Ferguson, with whom he shared a special love for music; other beloved nieces and nephews; and many friends throughout New York and Bolivar, Missouri.

Mr. Samek’s daughter Genevieve wrote the following poem in tribute to her father, which contains more details about his life:

DEAR DAD,

I have to tell a story about you
And every word you know will be true

A story of your life
that started 83 years ago
In Bolivar, Missouri
and away you did go

You started out as a son
then a brother you became —
five brothers and six sisters
were added to the Samek name

Like most young men
at age 18
you joined the Army
to adventures yet to be seen

From Fort Leonard Wood
For Army basic training
To the Army band on Governors Island
Where your future was waiting

Music was a gift for you
Which fell into your hands
Your father also played violin
and enjoyed music bands

Life was good
when you found love
It gave you a son and a daughter
A gift from above

from a son to a brother
to a father and more
you were a grandfather
and his great-granddaughter Milena he
really adored

I remember trips to the city
and the subway rides with you
we’d have coffee and donuts
when all your work was through

Arrangements you composed
and melodies written so well
All are so beautiful
Each with a story to tell

Your gift to hear music
and the feeling it gives
were played by orchestras
and to this day still lives

I’d watch you write for hours
putting nib to paper with ease
these are the memories
that I’ll always keep with me

You loved a good road trip
Driving South or West
always to the same diners
when stopping for a rest

You’d drive to visit family
and go to different places on the map
taking pictures along the way
making Florida your final stop

You visited the Eiffel Tower
Saw the Vatican in Rome
Threw a coin in the Trevi Fountain
We were so far away from home

The clarinet, the oboe, the flute and the sax
The piano, the piccolos and the violin was last
So many years playing concerts with the bands
You decided to become a luthier, creating with your hands

From reading books and studying the past
you created violins that for years will last

There’s no new melodies
any more from your mind
But a legacy you did leave behind

Scores of music
Written for all
To hear and love
in concert halls

Scores like “Serpico” and “Cousins”
have attributed to your success
You wrote with grace and flow
and your fountain pen did the rest

Oh beautiful night skies above
holding the stars like the souls of those we love
Let them know we think of them
Laughing, crying every now and then

We’re never ready
to let them go
but sometimes deep down
we already know

Although you’re gone
but not far away
And until I see you
again one day

Know that we
love you Dad
and we ask you please

To rise to the night sky
and may you rest in peace

love you always,
Genevieve