Sam is survived by his wife, Susan J. Oakes; son Jason S. Oakes (Kallah); sister Mary Laurie Oakes Propst (Floyd) and his brother K. Lanier Oakes (Linda Latimer). Also, his grandchildren William, Henry, Beckett, Georgiana and Ellis Oakes and several nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.
Sam was preceded in death by his parents Ellis Lanier and Mary Keith Shirley Oakes.
Sam was in the Boy Scouts starting in the Cub Scouts and continuing until he attained the highest honor of Eagle Scout in 1966. In 1965 he was also honored with the God and Country Award.
He was an avid student of history and was able to earn a Bachelor's degree in history from Erskine College in 1972 and then furthered his education with a Master's degree in secondary education from Clemson University.
Sam was able to enjoy a variety of jobs in his career. After graduation from college, he taught history and economics at Laurens District 55 High School. He and his wife, Sue, met over the phone while they were both working for MetLife in the early 1990's. Sam eventually retired in 2014 from Metromont Corporation. In his spare time he enjoyed reading history book and biographies of great statesmen such as FDR and Winston Churchill.
A Memorial Service for Sam will be held at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 1860 Reid School Rd Taylors, SC 29687 at 4:00 pm on October 22, 2022 with a reception immediately following at the church.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made on Sam's behalf to the Alzheimer's Association https://www.alz.org/ or St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, https://www.standrewspc.com/
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.mackeycenturydrive.com for the Oakes family
