Earlier this month, Sam S. Nasser, a longtime employee of Divisadero and Fell's New Star-Ell Liquors, passed away from complications related to throat cancer. He was 53 years old.
A San Francisco native, Nasser had worked with his cousins, New Star-Ell owners Salim and Sameer Nasser, for the past decade. Although he was often known for his no-nonsense attitude behind the counter, those closest to him understood Nasser as a dependable man who prided himself on his self-sufficiency.
"He was a good man, and an honest man," Salim Nasser told us. "If you knew him, you understood him as a good person. He would never accept any kind of handout from anybody."
In our interview with New Star-Ell employees back in March 2014, Sam Nasser expressed his love for working on Divisadero. "97 percent of people are hella cool," he told us. "Some sloppy people you can’t talk sense into. Otherwise, I love this neighborhood. I wouldn’t want to work anyplace else.”
A memorial service for Nasser was held yesterday at Valente Marini Peralta funeral home in the Excelsior. He's survived by one sister and one brother.
Share your memories of Sam Nasser in the comments.
Thanks to tipster Bunnie C.
