Samantha M. Emery, age 63, of Mahnomen, MN, died on Wednesday, June 13, 2007, at the Mahnomen Health Center Nursing Home.

Samantha was born April 10, 1944, in St. Paul, MN, to Juel Fairbanks and Ramona Pemberton-Emery. Growing up, Sam attended grade school in Athens, Greece and Minneapolis, MN, followed by Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis. She furthered her education at Metropolitan Community College and later at White Earth Tribal and Community College in Mahnomen.

While living in Minneapolis, Sam worked at Kateri House and was active in the Juel Fairbanks Treatment Center in St. Paul. She also worked for Prairie Island Reservation Social Services. In the early 1990's, Sam moved to Northern Minnesota and later settled in the White Earth, MN, area. During this time, she was an advisor for the University of Duluth Social Work Program, acted as an elder advisor for the Sons and Daughters of the Tradition Wellbriety Movement, actively helped organize the Wild Rice Round-Up and was on the board for the Community Resource Alliance in Detroit Lakes, MN. Over the years, Samantha also instructed many Mask Making Workshops in the Twin Cities, Bemidji, MN, and Mahnomen areas.

Samantha is survived by children: George Xanthes, Joy Neupert, Lisa Xanthes and Nicole Carrington; two grandchildren, Tiandra and Ezekiel Carrington; a brother, Frank Tanji; a sister, Teddy Brown, a nephew, Demetrius Seals and a niece, Deesa (Walter) Battle. She was preceded in death by her parents.