Sam Grant Rast III

Sam Grant Rast, III (76) died after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer in Germantown, Tennessee on November 25, 2025. Grant was born on Halloween 1949 to Anna and Sam Rast, Jr of Memphis. With the exception of his time as Staff Sergeant in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam Conflict, he lived his whole life in the Memphis area.

Grant graduated from Catholic High School (Class of 1967) and was an altar server and an Eagle Scout. After the Air Force, he became a computer programmer, having studied at Memphis State University and State Technical College. He worked at the following companies locally during his career: Kroger, Holiday Inn, Maybelline, Helena, AutoZone, QSource, Federal Express, and Sedgwick.

His parents, Sam Rast, Jr and Cecilia Anna (Catanzaro), preceded him in death; as did his little brother, David Brian Rast.

Grant leaves behind two beloved daughters, Lela Rast Hartsaw (Michael) of Pensacola and Elizabeth Camille Rast of Germantown; two grandchildren Emily Hartsaw and David Hartsaw of Pensacola; and his significant other, Georgia Stater of Germantown.

He also leaves behind three siblings: his older brother Edward Wilson of Clarksville, TN; his younger brother Steve (Diane) of Columbia, TN; and his younger sister, Rosanne Frank (Edwin) of Memphis. Grant had eight nieces and nephews (listed in order of birth): Terri Wilson, Perry Wilson, Barbara (Wilson) Valez, Vicky Wilson, David Wilson, Grant Frank, Stephen Rast, and Sabin (Rast) VonAlmen.

Grant was a devoted golfer for many years and loved watching Tigers and Grizzlies Basketball. He was an avid reader, coffee drinker and cereal eater, loved occasional trips to the gulf coast, making people laugh with his sharp wit, and was especially proud of his daughters and grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Family Funeral Care and will soon be announced. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to The Kosten Foundation (kostenfoundation.com) or Project Purple (projectpurple.org), two non-profit organizations dedicated to supporting patients, raising awareness, and educating Memphis and the world about pancreatic cancer. He will be deeply missed.