Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Samuel Norman Carsley (1941 - 2013)

Sam as my Best Man 1967



My old friend Samuel Norman Carsley died  Tuesday morning.  I have known  Sam  and have been friends with him since we lived close to each other in the Clay Homes when we were about  four years old.

Sam had a sad life from the start.  His father was lost at sea in the Navy during World War II.  My father tried to be a fill-in father to him as much as possible, but it was not the same.  He was my Bestman in our wedding in 1967.

Sam graduated from Georgia Tech with a Bachelor of Science in Physics.  He was an early Colbart programmer, employed by Georgia Tech, Lockheed and Honeywell over the span of his career.

His mother had a hard time financially raising him.  When she had to go to a nursing home, Sam saw to her needs.

In 1976 we invited him to our house to meet our new baby and have dinner with us.  We mentioned needing a bigger house with our growing family.   The next day he called to say he wanted to buy our house.  He died in it.

About the same time he bought our house we began to share our love of photography,  going on photographic missions to interesting places.  He was an excellent photographer with a sense of composition, and most importantly, he was patient.

The last thing we did together was bury my sister's dog.  Bonnie's dog died and I was recovering from surgery.   He dug by himself a grave at least six feet deep. When he was young, he worked at his uncle's veterinian office, developing a life long love for dogs.

I  hated to hear of his death but at least he is at peace now.   He turned 72 in February. 

Sam's  lovely wife Lita called me broken hearted.  She is from the Philippines and was totally devoted to him.   She got their neighbors and Sam's kinfolk to guide her as to what had to be done.

Visitation will be Saturday from 2:00 to 4:00 at Davis - Struempf  Funeral home in Austell.  For more information:


http://www.davisstruempf.com/obituaries/Norman-Carsley/#/Obituary



If you know any 1959 MHS  alumni, please pass this information on.

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