The Joy Man left us on September 5th. Sam brought Joy and happiness everywhere he went.
Jim said Sam was the only person who reached out to him when he first came back from Illinois and went to church. He was “Jim’s best friend in the whole world.” Ellie commented that he was “living life to the fullest” right up to the end. Tom said: “If you knew Sam you loved Sam. The words of the great evangelist, D.L. Moody apply equally to the legacy Sam leaves for his family and friends.” As Becky reminded us, he’s “even MORE alive now.”
Laurie remembered what a good week he had just had: he came over and joined us for our family dinner on Tuesday night. (It was “breakfast for dinner” – always Sam’s choice. And Becky made his favorite “peach puddin’.”) They had gone for a long drive together (he loved to go “riding around”) to get tomatoes and peaches. They got to go fishing together on Wednesday and it was such a beautiful day. That Friday he went out to dinner with Laurie and his sisters, his sister-in-law and his niece. So many happy and fun memories. Every day with him was a gift.
|
|
|
|
|
At Sam's "Celebration of life" at church, one of the highlights of the service was when his grandson, Nick (a younger version of Sam) sang "Victory in Jesus." Finally Sam himself sang at his own funeral - "Rise Again." It had been recorded when he sang it at the revival right after coming out of rehab. He had been determined to make it to the revival so he could do it.
Reporter: Laurie Paulsen 
The Robinson Connection: Impossible to list Sam's relatives because everyone in town was a "cousin" or related to him in some way.