This former Puyallup mayor championed children and parks. His memorial is this weekend
Sam Peach championed children, even before he became Puyallup’s mayor in the 1980s.
When Kathi Peach-Cassidy and her siblings were growing up, her father frequently played hoops in their Puyallup driveway with other children living in the neighborhood.
“It was important to him,” Kathi Peach-Cassidy said. “Kids were important to him. Families were important to him.”
Sam Peach was appointed to the City Council in 1984 and later became the mayor in 1988. Before then, he held multiple roles at the Puyallup School District — including as the principal of Aylen Junior High and other schools.
He passed away Feb. 27 from natural causes at the age of 94 at a hospital in Arizona.
“We still can’t believe it,” Peach-Cassidy said. “Mom and I expect him to walk through the door even though it’s been a couple of months. … You expect somebody to pass away after months of illness but there was nothing. He was vital.”
A public memorial service for Sam Peach is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, May 7 at the First Presbyterian Church of Puyallup at 412 West Pioneer Ave.
He was born on Sept. 25, 1927, in Bellingham. He went to elementary school in the Bellingham area and went to high school in Ellensburg. That is also where he met his high school sweetheart, Winnie Peach, who later became his wife.
He attended Central Washington University, which was formerly known as Central College Washington. He studied education — his plan was to teach at a school and eventually become a principal, Kathi Peach-Cassidy said.
In 1949, he was drafted and spent a year in the U.S. Army. He was honorably discharged afterward and returned to college to get his bachelor’s degree.
After he and his wife got married, they moved to Puyallup in 1951. He spent several years teaching in the school district and then became the principal at Spinning Elementary, Meeker Elementary and Aylen Junior High.
“His focus was on providing the best educational program we could for the students,” Randy Hathaway, a close friend of Sam Peach, said.
He and Hathaway crossed paths after they both started working together at the school district. Hathaway said he had a great smile, a wonderful laugh and was very approachable.
Hathaway’s favorite memory with him was when they went out fishing near Westport in Grays Harbor County in the late 1970s. Hathaway got seasick and he “took pity” on him and returned to shore safely.
“He was a genuine person. He was honest. You could trust him,” Hathaway said.
Traveling the world, becoming mayor
Sam Peach retired in 1983 and spent his retirement years traveling the world with his wife. They went to over 50 countries including New Zealand and Australia.
“He had a lifelong curiosity about people and cultures. They both did,” Kathi Peach-Cassidy said.
When he became mayor in 1988, two main topics were at the forefront of his mind: the school district and parks. Kathi Peach-Cassidy said he ensured people in the school district communicated and worked together to make decisions. He also ensured the city reserved space for public parks.
After his time as mayor, he stayed engaged with city committees as well as his local church. The city dedicated a neighborhood park to him in 2000. Recently, he paid for its new playground equipment. Sam Peach Park is at 1621 10th Ave. NW.
Kathi Peach-Cassidy described her father as very dignified, honorable and a real gentleman. He loved watching the Washington Huskies and Seattle Mariners. He enjoyed hiking, kayaking and water skiing.
“He had many different sides to him and in all of those sides, he was a wonderful dad, colleague, grandfather, great-grandfather, friend. … he was just an all-around wonderful man.”
Sam Peach is survived by his wife, Winnie Peach, his daughter, Kathi Peach-Cassidy and his son, Allan Peach. Another son, David Peach, passed away in 2002.
This story was originally published May 6, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
