Samuel Frisby

On April 23 2010, our beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather and great- grandfather left this life to be with our heavenly Father. Sam was born in Pine Bluff, AR on April 28, 1942 to Hazel and Joel Hamby Frisby. He was the youngest of six children. The family moved to Mount Pleasant where Sam attended high school. He loved school and excelled in football. When he was 18 years old, he enlisted in the Army and served in the Korean War. He left the service as a Sgt. 1st Class and received many letters of commendation from his commanding officers. Sam met his future wife, Frances, and her four young daughters while working in Houston, Texas. They married and eighteen months later had their first child, Samuel Perry Frisby II., which made their family complete.

Money was scarce and Sam worked three jobs to support his family. As a Sales Manager for Snyder Ventures of Texas, he learned about compressor valves and parts from his mentor and well loved employer, Mr. Hugh Brightwell. Sam always said he learned something new every day about the compressor business and that inspired him to start his own business in 1972. Of course, it was named SAMCO Enterprises, after him, the light of our life. Until his last breath, he loved his family and his job. He was so proud of the accomplishments and progress that his devoted co-workers made possible for the company. He was still excited at 67 years old to go to work.

Sam was preceded in death by his parents, Joel and Hazel Frisby and one sister, Frances LaPrade. Sam lost his only son, Samuel Perry Frisby II in 1989. Now, he leaves behind to love and honor him forever, his wife of 47 years, Frances, four daughters and one son-in-law: Vicki Levering, Denise Lovoi, Rosemary and Jeff Sheehan and Tanya Frisby. Grandchildren: Ryan and Ashley Colditz, Katie Bean, Jessica Sheehan, Samantha Lovoi and Luke Sheehan. Great-Grandchildren: Blake and Gavin Colditz. Also surviving are his brother Joel Frisby and his wife Nancy of Oklahoma City, his sisters Billie Allen of Irving, TX, Janet Binion of Oklahoma City, Patsy Cooley of Greenville, TX and many nieces and nephews.

There are no words to express how much Sam loved his family and his loyal friends. He was so proud of his outstanding employees and often said “My people do the best compressor valve related work in the US and maybe the World.”

Sam….loved fishing and was determined to catch “the most or the biggest” fish and usually did….enjoyed cooking breakfast over an open campfire on family crabbing trips…absolutely loved watching FOX news and telling Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity what to say next…was a staunch Republican and shouted it to anyone who would listen and to some who wouldn’t …..was stubborn and liked to have his way. If you told him “no”, he would find a way to make you say “yes”…forever optimistic, he never recognized the word “failure”…and he personally suffered at times because of this one thing…always said he was educated by “hard knocks”, it was “mind boggling” to all that spent time with him, just how much he knew… he was brilliant….as a young man, he would briefly glance through a newspaper, page after page and then tell you 90% of what he’d read…only Sam would order 3,000 lbs of Noonday onions every year for his friends, customers and family…he was looking forward to seeing his grandson, Lucas, win the green jacket at the Masters and to watching Blake and Gavin grow and learn about the world…

There will never be anyone like him ever again.