Sam was born on August 5, 1934 in Union Springs, Alabama to the late Cassie Cargile and David White. During his youth, his grandparents were instrumental in his upbringing. Sam was a hard worker helping on his grandparents' family farm sharecropping fruits and vegetables. Upon graduation from high school, he proudly enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of 17 to provide a better future for himself and his daughter. In his early 20's he was set up on a blind date with the woman who would spend the next 54 years by his side, Ms. Ardean Brown. They were married in 1958, and would welcome three children.
Sam and the family were stationed in Norfolk, Virginia over the duration of his 21 year military career. He was a Machinist Mate Chief (MMC) and retired as an E-7. Over those years he would travel the globe to countless destinations, from Italy to Vietnam to the Bermuda Triangle. After each destination, he couldn't wait to come home to have his family by his side. Following his retirement, Sam would devote an additional 20 years to the civil service at the Public Works Center (PWC) on Norfolk Naval Base as a mechanic.
Sam was the glue that held his family together, with nieces, nephews, and cousins all coming to visit at every opportunity. He was a avid football, basketball, baseball, tennis and golf fan. Sam would watch the games and matches at home with his family by his side. When he wasn't watching sports, he was working on everyone's cars in his back yard, doing yardwork and gardening. Sam was a perfect role model and the epitome of what a patriarch should be.
Left to cherish his memory are his three daughters, Maxine Banks, Vanessa Butts, and Linda White; his son, David White; his grandchildren, Denise Banks, Raymond Banks, Gregory Banks, Jr., Crisanta White, Jacquelynn Butts, and Michael Butts, Jr. (Jessica); great-grandchildren, Deaven Banks, Rahmir Banks, Kevin Butts, Jordan Butts, and Jema Banks; and a host of extended friends and family.
Sam is rejoined in heaven with his wife of 54 years, Ardean White; his parents, Cassie Cargile and David White; his sister, Pearl L. Jackson; his brother, David White; and his grandparents, Anna Pearl and William Cargile.
Funeral Services will be held at 11am on Saturday, January 2, 2021 at Woodlawn Funeral Home, Norfolk, with burial to follow within the Woodlawn Memorial Gardens. For those unable to attend, the funeral service will be accessible via Live Stream. To view Sam's memorial website and to share a memory or message of condolences, please visit www.WoodlawnNorfolk.com.
