Sergeant First Class Pedro R. Samaniego, 36, Grovetown, Georgia formerly of Fessenden, North Dakota passed away Sunday, October 1, 2023 at his home.  Memorial Service will be held at 10:00AM Saturday, October 14, 2023 at the Festival Hall in Fessenden, North Dakota.

Burial will be held at 1:00 PM Wednesday, October 18, 2023 at Hillside Cemetery in Fessenden.  Miliary Honors will be conducted by the North Dakota Military Funeral Honors Team and the Frank Proisl American Legion Post #33 of Fessenden.

Pedro R. Samaniego was born October 2, 1986 in San Antonio, TX to Toribio Samaniego and Mary Branson Kittelson.  He lived his early childhood there with his dad and his brother, Toby, and his sister, Liza.  When he was 11 years old, he moved to Fessenden, ND to live with his mother and his brothers, Kevin and Robin.

Pete attended school in Fessenden and graduated from Fessenden-Bowdon High School in 2005.  He enjoyed hunting and hanging out with Kurt and Bouncer, skating with Jesse and Derrick, and playing high school football with his buddies.  He attended college at UND and worked various jobs in and around the Grand Forks area.  He married Mary Schempp in 2009 and although they later divorced, they had a handsome son, Landen, and three beautiful daughters, Veralynn, Juliana, and Mariella together.

Pete enlisted in the United States Army in 2008 and did his Basic Training at Fort Jackson, NC and his AIT at Fort Gordon, GA.  He also completed his Airborne training and earned his wings while in Georgia.  His first duty assignment was at Camp Casey, South Korea and in 2012 he was transferred to Fort Bragg, NC.  Pete had numerous deployments including Afghanistan, Mexico, Jordan, and Syria.  In 2019, he returned to Fort Gordon but this time he was a Drill Sergeant.  He served there until his death in 2023.

Pete and his love, Kimberly Andrews, made their home in Grovetown, GA.  Their home was filled with love, laughter, and pets.  He really liked his animal friends.  They enjoyed doing things with their friends and working on home projects together.

Pete loved his children with all his heart and soul.  If you ever saw him with them, you could see and feel the pride and love he had for them.  He had a smile that shone but it was always the brightest when he was with them.  He enjoyed taking them to the beach every year and picking seashells.  He liked playing corn hole with them, cooking for them, doing projects and crafts with them, and just having them with him to hold and to hug and to give them all the love his big heart could.

He is survived by his children Landen, Veralynn, Juliana, and Mariella Samaniego; his love, Kimberly Andrews; his mother, Mary (Brian) Kittelson; his father, Toribio Samaniego; his sister, Liza Armstrong; his brothers, Toby (Lauri) Samaniego, Kevin Lacy, and Robin (Mandy) Lacy; the man he called dad, Kurt (Penney) Middleman; his nephew, Tully Lacy; his nieces, Summer French, Brooke, Haley, and Kaitlyn Samaniego, and lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Wauna and Earl Fike, Raymond and Gloria Samaniego, and Bob (Marian) Branson; his step-father, Brian Kittelson; his aunt, Sylvia Garcia and his niece, Kierra Kay.