Thirty-three years ago I begged mom for a sister. Thirty-two years and two hundred and ninety days ago I received one of the best presents I could have ever gotten. Sammy came into the world wide open, almost being born in the elevator of the hospital. Her toddler years were a blur of her ignoring the word “no,” most times just because she didn’t want to be told what to do. When it snowed that time in Jacksonville, I bundled her up and laid her in the snowy grass to teach her she had to listen to me. I’m not certain that lesson was learned but it was amusing to see her struggle in the snow suit. She wanted to be carried around until she was nearly seven, holding her arms up saying “momma take.” She loved forts under the dining room table. She was a talented and dedicated gymnast, committing twenty hours a week to practice. After back problems arose, she moved on to rhythmic gymnastics and eventually coached the next generation of gymnasts. She used her own money to buy me my first CD for my new car on my sixteenth birthday. When Sammy was fifteen, we got her drunk for the first time. Good and drunk, in an effort to make her steer clear of alcohol for life. As we all know, it did not work as hoped, but we had fun until she deposited all of the beer onto the pool deck. At seventeen she began decorating her body, much to mom’s dismay. After some specific artwork I began to call her the biggest guns and roses fan ever. When she was fourteen, I handed her a glass of milk and asked her if it tasted funny. She was not as amused as I was when I told her it was breast milk. Sammy graduated from Lee high. She then did an expensive stint at Fullsail University before realizing that music production was not for her. She came back home and soon moved to Saint Augustine. Sammy took up residence on my couch for years. It was fabulously fun to have her and very convenient to have a live in in babysitter. She played a very big role in my kids’ childhoods and loved them with all her heart. She would often sneak them toaster strudels. Never thinking that I knew she was giving them contraband, but I did. We went to beach often, wasting countless hours spilling tea and drinking beer. Sammy took a traveling job and wound up falling in love with Chicago. She was saving to move there because she said the city felt like home. Sam was a terrible driver. She totaled at least eight cars. One time she broke the Villano bridge with a Mercedes that still had the temporary tags on it. Sammy was restaurant through and through. Most recently she was excelling as a banquet manager of The San Jose Country Club. Sammy wore a Cubs Jersey to a Red Sox game in Tampa. She loved a party and could make a mundane event fun. She made a friend everywhere she went. Sammy loved quickly and deeply. She had thousands of best friends. She was always ready to help a friend or a stranger. When she wanted something done for her, that in all likelihood I did not want to do, she would call and say “Whatch doing?” She loved cats to an extent I never fully understood. She would kiss my dog to make me happy even though she hated doing it. Sammy posted nearly fifty stupid memes a day. It is unimaginable that I won’t be seeing our shared love of puns pop up in my feed anymore. Sammy had a fiery temper. Once she threw a 409 bottle across the living room and broke my antique lamp. She loved Jack Daniels. Sam could turn even the most innocent conversation into a sexual inuendo. When my dog died she called in favors to get me into a tattoo artist late on a Saturday so that I could have what I wanted that day. Sammy was full of life. Losing my baby sister has a created a void that will never be filled.
She is preceded in death by Edward Maddox, Sr, Edward Maddox, Jr, Carlos Sanchez, Isela Sanchez, Margurite Purdue, Owen Purdue, Ralph Maddox and Leona Maddox. She is survived by Sheryl Sanchez, Sergio Sanchez, Sr, Shayla Lovett, Jason Lovett, Rylee Lovett, Lorelei Lovett, Jonas Lovett, Sergio Sanchez Jr, Rebecca Sanchez, Carthony Sanchez, Luca Sanchez, Barrie Maddox, Angie Owens, Terri Davis, Don Davis, Sr, Don Davis Jr, Heather Davis, Avery Starling, Adalynn Starling, Alix Starling, Debi Lovett, George Lovett, Justin Lovett, Michelle D'Ascanio, Sarah Lovett, Chloe Lovett, Zane Lovett, Emma McCarty and countless other family members and friends. She touched so many lives.
In leu of flowers consider making a donation to The Catty Shack Ranch – she really loved cats.
A memorial service will be held Saturday.
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