Samuel Larry West

Samuel Larry "Sam" West, 69, passed away on Tuesday, July 25, 2006. The family will receive friends during a visitation on Friday from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Road. Funeral services will be at 10:00 am on Saturday at the funeral home chapel with Rev. Doris Miller and Rev. Janice Kahl officiating. Burial will follow at the Hamby Cemetery. Sam was born on October 16, 1936 in Hamby, Texas to Herman Oren and Elsie (Wilhite) West. He graduated from Abilene High School and from Sam Houston State Teachers College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture in May of 1958. After graduation, Sam married Martha Kren Chapman in Hamby, Texas on May 30, 1958. He was a native of Hamby and a member of the Hamby United Methodist Church. In 1967, the Abilene Jaycees honored him as an outstanding young farmer. Besides being a Stock Farmer, Sam was also on the Board of Directors for Taylor Telephone Cooperative for 28 years, County Committeeman for Shackelford County FSA for 39 years, and a member of Shackelford County Soil and Water District for 18 years. In past years, Sammy was a trustee on the Hamby ISD School Board for 17 years, held one term on the Jones/Shackelford FHA Board and one term on the Hamby Water Board. He volunteered many hours fighting fires for the Hamby Volunteer Fire Department. In 1988 Sammy was diagnosed with Large Cell Lymphoma. He was a cancer survivor for 15 years until the disease recurred in 2003. He fought a courageous battle and is now at rest. He was preceded in death by parents, his in-laws Dude and Imogene Chapman, one daughter, Kelly Marie West, one grandson Larry Wayne West, and one sister Byrdie Lee Sojourner. Sammy is survived by his wife, Martha Chapman West; three sons, Sam "Button" West and his wife Felicia, Stan West and his wife Lori, and Cody West and his wife Tina, all of Hamby; one daughter, Kren Willis and her husband Brian of Abilene; two sisters Ruth Head of Dallas and Margaret Mitchell of Abilene; eight grandchildren, Samantha, Carl, Dusty, Jasmine, Eric, Lindsey, Evan and Oren; and one great-grandchild, Colton Samuel. Carl and Dusty West, Eric and Evan Willis, Jesse Dominguez and Russell Chapman will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be Oren, Jasmine and Lindsey West, Colton and Samantha Dominguez, the Directors and Employees of Taylor Telephone Co-op, Shackelford County FSA and the Shackelford County NRCS Districts. The family would like to thank Dr. Hirsch, his office staff, his nurses: Linda, Maria and Shawn, his chemo nurses: Heather, Cindy, Carol, Larna, Cathy, Rose and Martine, and all of Hendrick's nurses who gave Sammy such loving care. Memorials may be made in honor of Sammy to the Cancer Service Network, 107 Highland, Abilene, Texas 79605.