[List] Obituary: Sam Vance

[Cecil Stokes]

    Samuel Ledcreigh Vance Obituary

Samuel Ledcreigh Vance, 88, of Huntsville passed away at home on August 
22nd of natural causes, surrounded by his family. He was born in 
Louisville, KY to Ledcreich Stuart and Frances Ervin Vance and was a 
graduate of Atherton High School. He attended Vanderbilt University and 
graduated with a BS in chemical engineering 1958.

While at college, he was set up on a blind date with Mary Dolores Patton 
by their respective best friends. While their friends were making out in 
the front seat of the car, Sam and Dolores discovered their mutual love 
of the songs of Tom Lehrer and (much to their friends’ dismay) spent the 
evening singing songs like "Fight Fiercely, Harvard”, “When You Are Old 
and Gray”, and the classic “Be Prepared”:

  * If you're looking for adventure of a new and different kind
  * And you come across a Girl Scout who is similarly inclined
  * Don't be nervous, don't be flustered, don't be scared
  * Be prepared!

Sam and Dolores became engaged in 1958 and married on February 7, 1959. 
Sam and Dolores moved to Huntsville, AL that year for Sam to join 
Thiokol Chemical Corporation, where he worked on propellants and 
explosives. Sam and Dolores welcomed their two sons, Ledcreigh Stuart in 
1963 and William Huntoon in 1966.

Early in his career, Sam displayed a certain amount of bravado by 
bringing home strips of propellant and on July 4th, shooting them out of 
a homemade launcher. The strips would fire off at great speed, and being 
flexible, performed exciting aerobatics before burning out. This 
practice ended in 1969, when one of the strips rocketed into a 
neighbor’s bush, vaporizing it on contact. Fortunately, their home 
exterior was brick, so the damage was limited to the foliage. After 
that, his boys were allowed only sparklers.

Sam, being a man of the Silent Generation, began fatherhood suffering 
from Stoic Male Syndrome. As his sons grew, his views of life and family 
softened a great deal. He helped his boys with math and science 
homework, did set construction for school plays, and attended races run 
by his youngest, Billy. The first time Stuart came home from college, 
rather than shaking hands, Sam gave him a bear hug. Stuart’s response 
was, “Who are you and what have you done with my father?” Later in life, 
Sam would tear up at the drop of a hat.

Sam was a man of both refined as well as prurient interests. He 
subscribed to Playboy magazine for almost 40 years, claiming that he 
read the magazine primarily for the articles. He was a fan of classical, 
folk, and Celtic music, and was a great supporter of Huntsville’s public 
radio station, WLRH. He owned the entire discography of Oscar Brand’s 
Bawdy Songs and Backroom Ballads but held off introducing them to his 
sons until their late teens. Not because he was concerned for their 
sensibilities, but because he didn’t think that they would be able to 
appreciate the humor in songs like “None Is Bigger Than Mine”, “Friggin 
in the Rigging”, and “The One-Eyed Riley”.

Sam was preceded in death by his wife, Dolores, son, Billy, 
daughter-in-law, Flo, and granddaughters, Sami and Cara. He is survived 
by his son, Stuart; daughter-in-law, Teri; granddaughter, Nikki; 
grandson-in-law, Maluhia; and great-grandsons, Kamakana and Lanakila.

Sam will be buried with his son, Billy, alongside Dolores in Spring Hill 
Graveyard in Mobile, AL later this year. A wake will be held in 
Huntsville in his honor on Wednesday September 4th at 5:00 p.m. at his 
and Dolores’ favorite restaurant, Mangia Italian Restaurant at 2288 
Zierdt Road. Please RSVP to ledcreigh at gmail.com if you would like to attend.

Donations in his memory may be made to WLRH at 
https://aptv.org/wlrh-donation/.

https://www.laughlinservice.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=32928965
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