Samantha Ann Thomson-Daly

Samantha Thomson-Daly (“Sam”) lived a life defined by positivity, service, humor, devotion, and deep love. On May 16, 2026, surrounded by family and friends, Sam passed away peacefully after facing metastatic uterine leiomyosarcoma with remarkable grace and courage - a battle of only four months. She was 52 years old. Her loss leaves an immeasurable absence in the lives of the people fortunate enough to have known her steady presence, quick wit, and generous heart.

Born in Des Moines, Iowa and raised in the Midwest, Sam dedicated much of her life to public service. While earning her bachelor’s, Sam became a firefighter, a role she proudly held for four years before pursuing a career in law enforcement. At a time when few women wore the badge, Sam entered the Police Academy and spent sixteen years with the Lee’s Summit Police Department in Missouri - a job she absolutely loved. Her integrity, leadership, and unwavering commitment quickly earned the respect of colleagues and community alike. While earning her Master of Public Administration, Sam was promoted to Master Police Officer within just three years and later served in the Patrol Division, the Professional Standards Unit, and the Investigations Division as a detective. Sam relished the challenge of detective work - developing confidential informants, working undercover, and leading investigations. Her dedication earned numerous commendations, from the Chief of Police to the FBI. In 2012, the FBI honored her as Lead Detective for its Criminal Case of the Year, a major multi-state narcotics investigation that resulted in numerous federal drug- and gang-related prosecutions. Years later she would regale her wife Heidi with stories from this time while they watched Dateline, a favorite pastime throughout their relationship. Sam approached police work with compassion, diligence, and quiet strength, bringing humanity to even the most difficult circumstances.

Sam moved to Seattle in 2012 and quickly embraced the community, natural beauty, and spirit of the Pacific Northwest. Sam took to Seattle’s “lake life” culture and found a new passion in competitive rowing, spending hours on Lake Union and Lake Washington with her teammates. Professionally, she held roles at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission and the University of Washington Police Department before pivoting to a new interest: public transportation. This brought Sam to a deeply meaningful chapter at Community Transit. Here she served on the Learning and Development team, helping individuals and departments grow through her thoughtful leadership, encouragement and coaching. No matter where Sam worked, she always formed a close “work family”, and Community Transit was no exception. Sam’s fan base at Community Transit is enormous; she left an indelible mark on her colleagues and the organization as a whole. In 2022 she was awarded Community Transit’s Excellence Award, a recognition she was especially proud of. Sam took lifelong learning seriously and was forever nerding out on leadership and work culture books and ideas — endlessly curious about how people learn, grow, and become better leaders. Sam’s lending library of leadership books will remain available for employees at their offices.

Sam’s greatest love story began when she met Heidi Thomson. What quickly became clear to them both was that they had found something rare. Nine months after meeting, Sam proposed aboard the catamaran Gato Verde, surprising Heidi with her grandmother's ring in front of the Chrysalis Inn in Bellingham. They returned to the same spot a year later to marry. Their life together was marked by warmth, laughter, deep friendship, and unwavering devotion. August would have been their tenth wedding anniversary.

Above all else, Sam’s greatest joy and proudest role was being Aiden’s mama. Becoming a mother was one of her deepest dreams in life, and she embraced parenthood wholeheartedly. Sam loved Aiden fiercely, tenderly, and completely. Few things brought her greater joy than their favorite daily ritual: cuddling. Sam delighted in the small magic of ordinary moments: cheering Aiden on at baseball, climbing ladders to pick plums in the backyard, sharing quiet time at home, and creating traditions that made childhood feel safe and joyful for Aiden. Every day when Aiden left for school Sam would call out: “Seize the day, Aiden!” The phrase was her anthem.

Sam will be remembered for what brought her happiness and the thousand small things that made her unmistakably herself. Her love of the water - nothing made her happier than being at the beach or on a boat. Family trips to Hawaii and Mexico. Her lifelong love of cycling, logging thousands of miles both solo and with friends, exemplified by spending her 50th birthday riding through pouring rain during the Tour de Lopez on Lopez Island. Her legendary devotion to ice (to the affectionate exasperation of her wife). The immense pride she took in her beloved 2003 Toyota Tacoma. (Her hope was for Aiden to drive it when he turns 16, which he will). Her remarkable kindness and how she never spoke a negative word about anyone. Her unconditional love for her parents. Her passion for group facilitation and training design. Her resistance to camping but going anyway. Her bright smile. Her sweet tooth. Her love of jazz music and trombone solos. Her positive outlook and optimism. Most of all, her ability to make people feel understood and cared for. She was always the first to help, fiercely loyal, endlessly dependable and very witty— the kind of person whose presence made life feel steadier and brighter. Sam built a big tent, and those under the tent were the luckiest.

Above all, Sam’s legacy is love — the life she built with Heidi, the devotion she poured into Aiden, and the countless people she befriended, mentored, protected, encouraged, and cared for along the way.

Sam is survived by her wife, Heidi Thomson-Daly, their son Aiden, her parents Cynthia and Patrick Daly; brother Sean Daly; mother-in-law Kathleen Thomson; sister-in-law Kerry Thomson; brother-in-law Kurt Velguth; nieces Greta and Astrid; nephew Connor; honorary niece Josie; Godsons Arie and Evan; and Goddaughters Rheagan and Hayden. She is also survived by a deep bench of best friends both in Washington and Missouri whose lives will never be the same.

A celebration of Sam’s life will be held later this year. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Sam’s memory may be made to Aiden’s Future Fund, a fund that will support her seven year old son Aiden in the years ahead as he grows up without his beloved mama.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-sams-care-and-family-during-this-time?attribution_id=sl:753f606e-e4b4-4d39-850b-c3c0bd7130e4&lang=en_US&ts=1780069945&utm_campaign=man_sharesheet_dash&utm_content=amp17_te-amp20_t1&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link