Samuel Lawrence Smith

Samuel "Sam" Lawrence Smith, Dad, Brother, Uncle, Grandfather, Educator, Community Mentor and Pioneer, passed from this life February 9, 2015. He was born July 26, 1943 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to the late Samuel L. Smith and Mary E. Wooden-(Smith) Gilliam and was a resident of Las Vegas for 37 years. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Lemuel Smith. He is survived by his children, Samuel Marshall Smith (Sharon), Mercedes Smith-Finley (Myron), and Assata Mary Smith and 7 grandchildren. He is also survived by his nieces. Vivían Sessons and Sybil Johnson, nephew Trevor Johnson, 3 grandnephews, 1 grandniece and his loving stepfather Ronald Gilliam (Philadelphia).

Samuel moved from Hampton, Virginia in 1959 to New York City; where at the age of 17 he graduated "Valedictorian" from Benjamín Franklin High School "class of 1961". He attended City College of New York and graduated in 1974 from Richmond College (NV). Sam's first job was in the United States Post Office in 1964. He joined the New York Police Department, where he was the youngest officer ever hired. In 1964 Samuel was drafted in the midst of the Vietnam War, where he served from 1965 until 1967.

He returned in 1967 from Vietnam to the New York Police Department and retired in 1974. In 1974 Samuel joined the Connecticut National Guard and carne to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1978. In 1978, he took the Firefighter exam and spent 22 years on the Clark County Fire Department as a fire inspector. He ran his empowerment classes from 1983 to 2003 and retired as Deputy Fire Marshall in 2003.

His passion was to motívate you and create a desire for leaming more. He was involved with other projects like the academy and bookstore, to ensure a legacy of learning. He enjoyed traveling as a youth with his mother and her fríends sister-in-law "Nancy Wilson" (Jazz Vocalist). He was an avid reader, historian and entrepreneur. His legacy will live on through the many mentees, his children and grandchildren. We will miss him dearly. He was cherished by all who knew him.

’ll be seeing you

I am at rest so don’t cry. It will be easier as time goes by. Know I’m happy and very content. Just remember the good times we spent. As I see your faces, that makes me sad. But I have made it, for that I’m glad. We all know that it’s hard on Earth. So you shouldn’t cry at death, but at birth. I have no worries, pain or fear. Because I’m with God, so dry your tears. I love you all and this is what I want you to do. Celebrate my life and I’ll be seeing you.

Arrangements under the direction of Palm Downtown Mortuary, Las Vegas, NV.