Jamie Samuelsen's funeral is Tuesday; fans, friends can watch via livestream

Tony Paul
The Detroit News

Funeral services for longtime Detroit sports-talk radio personality Jamie Samuelsen will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Holy Name Catholic Church in Birmingham, with a small gathering of friends and family.

Samuelsen's wife, Christy McDonald, announced the plans on Twitter on Monday, inviting friends and fans to join via livestream amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Longtime 97.1 The Ticket host Jamie Samuelsen, right, wife and PBS Detroit anchor Christy McDonald, right, and their three children. Samuelsen died on Aug. 1 after a 19-month fight with colon cancer. He was 48.

"In the future," wrote McDonald, "we'll have a big public celebration and raise many gimlets in his name."

Samuelsen, an on-air host at 97.1 The Ticket since 2012, first working with Detroit News columnist Bob Wojnowski weekday nights and then with Mike Stone and Heather Park weekday mornings, died Aug. 1 after an 18-month battle with colon cancer.

Tributes from friends, fans and colleagues have poured in ever since, including from all four Detroit professional sports teams, and "Late Night" host Seth Meyers.

Samuelsen, a native of California and a Northwestern alum, spent more than 25 years in the Detroit sports-media scene, starting out at 1130 The Fan. He also appeared regularly on Fox 2, including Sunday night's "SportsWorks" roundtable and the network's weekly Lions pregame show. Samuelsen also wrote columns for the Detroit Free Press.

He is survived by McDonald and their three children, Caroline, 16, Josh, 14, and Catherine, 11.

"Jamie was known to all as a loving, present, always interested and devoted dad. He was all in on family vacations, chucking footballs, boogie boarding, and they loved to spend time together up north," his obituary read. "He never missed taking his kids to lunch on the first day of school, or bringing them along for a cameo on TV for Thanksgiving Lions' game coverage.

"He was the dad at the dance recital, the basketball game, the flag practice, and always there for his children. They just couldn’t get enough of his time, love and laughter.

"None of us could. He will be dearly missed."

In lieu of flowers, the family is supporting donations to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance or Paltown, the fundraising wing of patient-advocacy group Colontown.

Arrangements are being handled by A.J. Desmond & Sons in Troy.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @tonypaul1984