SORIANO, Samuel – On Wednesday, February 25, 2026, Samuel Soriano died at home, at the age of eighty-six. He was surrounded by his family, including Zilla, his best friend and wife of sixty-two years. Sam was a loving father and father-in-law to Errol and Rena, and Odette and John, and a proud Papou to Joelle and Alex, Kaylen, Hannah, and Simone. Family was his greatest joy. He will be dearly missed.
Sam grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe, as the beloved younger brother of his late siblings, Katie Abrahamson and Maurice Soriano. He left Zimbabwe at the age of sixteen to attend medical school at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. While at university, he met and fell in love with Zilla. The two of them lived in South Africa, Zimbabwe, England, and the United States, before moving to Canada in 1969. During his long career as an orthopedic surgeon, Sam also received his MBA from the University of Toronto.
Generous, hard-working, and immensely funny, Sam found great joy in gardening, skiing, playing bridge and tennis, and above all, spending time with his people. He loved sharing phrases in Ladino, the language he learned from parents Simon and Rosina. He recently wrote a book for his family, including the history of his Sephardic community on the island of Rhodes.
The funeral will be held at Benjamin’s Park Memorial Chapel on Friday at 10:00am, followed by interment at the Habonim Congregation Section at the Pardes Chaim Cemetery. Shiva will begin after the interment.