Sawley Aubert Assam, 78, died peacefully in hospital care in Miami, FL. Born in Trinidad to Charles and Violet Assam, he emigrated to NY/NJ in his teens with his sister and mother, enlisting in the US Army after high school. He was based in Europe during the Vietnam-era and spoke with pride and gratitude of skills he learned and seeing the world.

His post-army life was lived in NYC where he later met and married Sandra Mahabal of Trinidad. They parted amicably after almost 10 years of marriage when he moved to FL, following his sister in retirement. He was a social friend-to-all and was kind and generous in the simplest ways, bringing a sense of humor and optimism to anyone's cloudy day.

Sawley is predeceased by his father (1944), mother (2011) and sister, Sandrea (2021), and many uncles and aunts. He is survived by niece, Elena Truffa, grand-niece Katelena, and a host of cousins and friends. He rests in the care of Wilcox Family Funeral Home, wilcoxffh.com

His military send-off occurs at 2PM in Lane 1 at the South Florida National Cemetery, 6501 South State Road 7, Lake Worth, FL (south of West Palm Beach) on Tuesday, August 15, 2023.

For online condolences or tributes, please visit www.wilcoxffh.com In lieu of funeral flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Miami VA Healthcare System (305) 575-7000.