Shirley Sweetland Samere

Shirley Sweetland Samere, born on December 7, 1933, passed away on December 27, 2025, at the age of 92. The oldest of 5 sisters, she was born and raised in Rochester, New York. In 1955 she married Joseph Samere. In 1968, after 13 years of marriage and five children, they moved to Tallahassee, Florida.

A loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother known as Mema; she loved hosting family gatherings. Her home was often filled with laughter and delicious food for Studebaker’s Happy Hour on Friday evenings and Pancakes on Saturday mornings. She also treasured spending time in The Florida Keys, birdwatching, and collecting giraffe artwork.

She is survived by her husband of 70 years, Joseph Samere; four children Barbara Salvo, David (Joyce) Samere, Carol (Drew) Whitaker, and Mary (Greg) Johnson; sisters Beverly Pegoni, Kathy Sweetland, and Ginny Scipioni; eleven grandchildren; and twelve great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her sister, Janet Dunn, son-in-law, John Salvo, and daughter, Anne Harris.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to sca6.org to support research on SCA6 Ataxia, the disease that affected Shirley for many years.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home, located at 700 Timberlane Road, Tallahassee, FL 32312. The service is scheduled for January 27, 2026, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.