Obituary for SAM STANFORD Jr.
Sam Stanford Jr. was born in Lula, Mississippi November 4, 1936, to Sam and Mary Stanford. The eldest son of 9, Sam, came to Ohio at an early age and was mentored by his beloved Uncle Eric “who never let him get too far.” Working in his Uncle Eric’s junk yard, Sam developed a passion for fixing cars. He was so confident in his ability to repair vehicles that he even offered to change the brakes on a car last year! Sam went on to work around cars at a gas station in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Then later as a welder at General Motors before retiring.
Sam was the epitome of what it means to be a family man. He raised 13 children and impacted the lives of a multitude of others. Sam made everyone around him feel like a part of the Stanford tribe. From his kid’s friends growing up, to the kids that his grandchildren were watching, he literally treated everybody liked they were one of his own.
Not only was Sam a dedicated, loving family man, but he was also HILARIOUS. He loved to make people laugh. He told stories like nobody else. Like the time where he was shot and miraculously survived because his leather shirt and jacket stopped the bullet. Or the story about how he and his brother Porter would catch jackrabbits by hand while running alongside them. His funny one-liners will forever be with us:
“I’ll hit you on top of the head so hard it would make your toes pop like popcorn”
“Stop all that boogity-boogity”
“Quick fast in a hurry… you ain’t back yet?”
“You want to make a quarter?”
“If we put your brain in a bird it would fly backward/upside-down”
“The more I teach you, the dumber I get”
“If ya’ll don’t stop making all that noise, they’re going to have the call the fire department to hose me off you”
Not only did he work hard, love hard, and laugh hard, Sam was able to change his life when he was 69 years old. He moved from Youngstown to Columbus, Ohio where he started a new chapter. He got involved with his grandchildren’s activities, shared a garden with his next-door neighbor and began to live a healthy lifestyle. At 77, he was able to embrace change again when he moved across the country to Delaware. He joined the M.O.T. Senior Center and found a new purpose for his life. He was the go-to senior entrusted with showing new members the ropes. He taught them how to play bingo (his favorite) and dominoes. Sam loved going to the senior center. He would get up at 5:00 AM to get ready, make Jalen’s lunch and walk the dog. He believed in never missing a day and was always on time. He went faithfully until his strength no longer matched his passion.
Sam is survived by wife Fresha; children Diane, Todd (Denella), Daphne, Sebron, Kevin (Johnetta), Brian (Maria), Sam C. (Rena), Dwayne (Keristen), Fresha (Bruce), Shawn (Andrea), Chad, Jerry, and Cedric; brother James (Karen) and sister Lula as well as a host of other relatives including 44 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild.
Sam was proceeded in death by his parents, his brothers Porter, Willie, Johnny, Lester, his sister Frances and grandsons Todd Jr and Curtis.
Sam was the epitome of what it means to be a family man. He raised 13 children and impacted the lives of a multitude of others. Sam made everyone around him feel like a part of the Stanford tribe. From his kid’s friends growing up, to the kids that his grandchildren were watching, he literally treated everybody liked they were one of his own.
Not only was Sam a dedicated, loving family man, but he was also HILARIOUS. He loved to make people laugh. He told stories like nobody else. Like the time where he was shot and miraculously survived because his leather shirt and jacket stopped the bullet. Or the story about how he and his brother Porter would catch jackrabbits by hand while running alongside them. His funny one-liners will forever be with us:
“I’ll hit you on top of the head so hard it would make your toes pop like popcorn”
“Stop all that boogity-boogity”
“Quick fast in a hurry… you ain’t back yet?”
“You want to make a quarter?”
“If we put your brain in a bird it would fly backward/upside-down”
“The more I teach you, the dumber I get”
“If ya’ll don’t stop making all that noise, they’re going to have the call the fire department to hose me off you”
Not only did he work hard, love hard, and laugh hard, Sam was able to change his life when he was 69 years old. He moved from Youngstown to Columbus, Ohio where he started a new chapter. He got involved with his grandchildren’s activities, shared a garden with his next-door neighbor and began to live a healthy lifestyle. At 77, he was able to embrace change again when he moved across the country to Delaware. He joined the M.O.T. Senior Center and found a new purpose for his life. He was the go-to senior entrusted with showing new members the ropes. He taught them how to play bingo (his favorite) and dominoes. Sam loved going to the senior center. He would get up at 5:00 AM to get ready, make Jalen’s lunch and walk the dog. He believed in never missing a day and was always on time. He went faithfully until his strength no longer matched his passion.
Sam is survived by wife Fresha; children Diane, Todd (Denella), Daphne, Sebron, Kevin (Johnetta), Brian (Maria), Sam C. (Rena), Dwayne (Keristen), Fresha (Bruce), Shawn (Andrea), Chad, Jerry, and Cedric; brother James (Karen) and sister Lula as well as a host of other relatives including 44 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild.
Sam was proceeded in death by his parents, his brothers Porter, Willie, Johnny, Lester, his sister Frances and grandsons Todd Jr and Curtis.