Samantha Adams

Samantha Adams (aka Betty Barban Sacks) was born on August 1, 1923 in Norfolk, VA to Blanche Scher and Adam Barban. She grew up in Cape Charles, VA among a large, extended family who had settled along the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay after emigrating from Lithuania. She had two brothers who predeceased her - Sidney, who was five years older and Stanley, who was five years younger. She loved her life by the sea and always delighted in “smelling the salt air.”

She left this world peacefully on Friday, January 13, 2023 in Dallas, TX. She was “99 going on 100,” as her family used to say.

Samantha received her BA from the University of Maryland, College Park. She was married to Julien Sacks for 23 years. They settled in Roanoke, VA where they operated Julien’s Shoes, a children’s shoe store. Betty/Samantha was a leader in Hadassah and the Women’s Auxiliary at Beth Israel Synagogue. She was dedicated to providing a Jewish education for their two daughters, Anne Barban (aka Hanna Tiferet Siegel) and Sarajane, an opportunity she lacked as a child. Following divorce, she moved to Dallas where she earned her Master’s in Library Science from Texas Women’s University and worked as a librarian in the Dallas Public Library system.

Samantha was a larger than life Leo with a huge spiritual heart. She explored many spiritual paths including Actualism, The Urantia Book, Astrology, The Course in Miracles, and Joel Goldsmith. She is survived by two daughters - Hanna and Sarajane; three grandsons - Noah, Shefa, and Elisha; and two great grand-daughters - Eden and Avna. Jean Horton was her beloved, angelic caregiver at The Reserve on Coit in Dallas.

Go with God, Momilah!