Samuel ‘Sam’ Joe Myers
Samuel “Sam” Joe Myers, 83, of Grand Tower, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale surrounded by his beloved family.
He was born at his childhood home on the Carter farm on Aug. 30, 1940, in Wolf Lake, the son of Cyril Lymar and Frieda Alice Carter Myers.
He married his high school sweetheart Sherry Lee Woodard, and they enjoyed the next 63 years together.
Sam graduated from Shawnee High School in Wolf Lake in 1959, where he enjoyed playing high school sports, football, basketball and baseball.
He worked on his family farm and later farmed his own land where he built his family home. There he and Sherry raised their three children.
Together they enjoyed camping, boating and spending time with family and friends. Although Sam spent almost his entire life farming, he worked at Ensign Bickford for several years in between and enjoyed spending time with coworkers.
Sam had a passion for flying. In the 1960s, Sam completed his aviation certificate and bought his first airplane. He owned several small planes during his life and loved telling the nurses and doctors or anyone who would listen about his airplanes and his flight across the Bermuda Triangle.
He LOVED his whole family so very much. He was very proud of his three children and all of their accomplishments and thought they hung the moon. He was especially proud of his eight grandkids.
He rarely missed any of the boys’ baseball games and loved collecting their home run baseballs. He loved hearing about their farm animals and about the demolition derbies. He couldn’t wait to hear about the bass fishing tournaments and the score of the high school basketball games. He enjoyed hearing everything about his grandsons.
His three granddaughters had his whole heart and always told them they were his super models. He loved hearing about their sports, nursing careers and love of animals. He would tell everyone that would listen about his grandchildren. He was so very proud of each of them.
Sam enjoyed watching all types of sports on TV, especially baseball games. He was an avid Cardinals fan and loved when baseball season started.
Later he spent his time with Sherry going to the kids and grandkids sporting events and recently watching his great-grandchildren grow up. He loved getting together for all of the holidays and was so proud of his family in every way. He never turned down being in a picture with the family.
If you knew Sam, he would have some funny sayings. It would often go like this. He would climb off the tractor, cut a chogie and head to his favorite watering hole (the Duck Inn) and later go home and hit the hay.
Sam is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Sherry Lee (Woodard) Myers; children Kerry Joe Myers, Vickie Lynn (Myers) (Jon) Ellet and Dana Leigh (Myers) (Jason) Crain; grandchildren Ethan Wayne (Kristina) Myers, Dalton Wade (Kimberly) Myers, Kyle Wade (Mallory) Ellet, Gavyn Lee (Desiree) Ellet, Madilyn Rose (Zachery) Ellet, Ryleigh Maison Clover, Maddox Ryan Crain and Landrey Raegan Crain; great-grandchildren Cole, Avery, Leighton, Skylar, Reese, Brody, Hudson and Walker; siblings Jerry (Mary Lou) Myers and Monty (Laurie) Myers; nieces and nephews Lana (Myers) (Doug) Fite, Cindy (Myers) (Chuck) McDaniel and Jay (Angela) Pierce; other relatives and many friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Richard “Dick” (Tootie) Myers; a sister, Denise (Howard) (Myers) Pierce; a sister-in-law, Judy K. (Woodard) Dillow; and a brother-in-law, Samuel D. Woodard Jr.
Sam is very loved and will be missed by all of his family.
Funeral services were at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 23, at Rendleman & Hileman Funeral Home in Anna, with Bob Henson officiating. Interment followed at Lindsey Cemetery in McClure. Memorials can be made to Shawnee Booster Club.
To view the obituary and to leave online condolences for the family, visit www.rendlemanhilemanfh.com.
Rendleman & Hileman Funeral Home in Anna was in charge of arrangements.