Samuel F. Minor
1938-2019
“Last night at 11:11 p.m. on 11-11-19, my strong, sweet Poppy went to be with Jesus. It was one of the holiest experiences being so close to Heaven with the family he loved, worshiping, crying, laughing, saying good-bye. The sentiment that was echoed over and over was how he always saw the best in people. My dad said it best when he said, “If we could all be the people Sam believed we could be.” Poppy’s love for people, his deep questions, the way he treated my GaGa 58 years of marriage later. It’s a beautiful, holy legacy. The grief comes in waves, but I am so thankful for this beautiful family to be with in the ebb and flow of life. Last night the earth poured tears of rain as he passed and this morning it turned to beautiful snow, a picture of the celebration of his life. I love you Poppy, so so much.” Hannah, Sam’s oldest of 21 grandchildren.
Sam Minor was raised in Garards Fort and graduated in 1956 from Mapletown High School. He then headed to Penn State to pursue a degree in Ag Economics. In a fairy tale romance, he and Beverly Robison met back up at Penn State after a summer romance at the Greene County Fair in their teenage years, and married upon his graduation. They both left their family farms behind to pursue careers in industry around the countryside, but eventually realized that they wanted to raise their brood of five in the same culture in which they had been raised on the farm.
Sam and Bev moved to a then-85 acre farm in Washington County, Pennsylvania and started dreaming of the future. Together, with a strong faith in a loving God and the help of many friends, they made their dream come true when they built and opened their country store, The SpringHouse, and started milking cows and processing milk almost 44 years ago. Over the years, that little country store grew to include 400 acres, a milking herd of 125 cows, a buffet-style restaurant, catering, an expanded bakery, and three generations working in the business, all of which blessed Sam immensely!
Sam had many passions. His God; his wife, Bev and their family (now totaling 35!); Grace United Methodist Church; his wonderful dog, Thor; dreaming big; Penn State and especially the College of Agricultural Sciences and the wrestling team, of which he was a winning wrestler 1957-1960 and the captain in 1960; Alpha Zeta Agricultural Fraternity; the National Dairy Advisory Board; Agway Board of Directors; CARAT-a Penn State Lobbying Group; Pa Farm Bureau; Soil Conservation; Washington Hospital Board of Trustees; Pa Holstein Association (president); Farm Credit Board of Directors; and Canon-McMillan School Board member.
Awards over the years have included Penn State Alumni Fellow, Pennsylvania Master Farmer, Soil Conservationist of the Year and Community Foundation Philanthropy Award.
Sam is survived by his wife, Beverly; four daughters and a son and their families.
Friends and families will be received from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday and 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Grace United Methodist Church, 420 California Drive, Coal Center. An additional visitation for those traveling will be from noon to 1 p.m. Saturday, November 16, at which time a Celebration of Life service will be held. All viewings and the service will happen at the church. Because some friends have asked, should anyone prefer an option to sending flowers, donations can be made in Sam’s name to any of the following that were near and dear to Sam’s heart: Grace United Methodist Church, 420 California Drive, Coal Center, PA 15423; Washington County Community Foundation, P.O. Box 308, Eighty Four, PA 15330; Penn State Entrepreneurial Scholarship at www.raise.psu.edu/SamMinorMemorial).
Arrangements in care of Thompson-Marodi Funeral Home Inc., 809 Main Street, Bentleyville, 724-239-2255. To leave condolences and share photos, visit www.thompson-marodi.com.