Samuel Boddie

Samuel (Sammy) Boddie, 76, passed away unexpectedly, yet peacefully, at home on January 2, 2023.

Sammy was born November 10, 1946, to Allie Mae and Troy Boddie in Livingston, Texas. He attended Leggett High School, where he played basketball and was a member of Future Farmers of America (FFA). It was there he met his first wife, Betty, whom he married in 1965. They had their first daughter, Lana, in December of 1966 and shortly after moved to Freeport, Texas, where Sammy had started a position at Dow Chemical Company. Their second daughter, Erica, was born in 1971. Shortly after her birth, they moved to their home in Lake Jackson, Texas, where they remained until the marriage came to an end in 1985.

Sammy married his current wife, Paula, in 1989, adding she and her two young children, Katherine and Sean, to the family. The new extended family moved to a home in Brazoria, Texas, where Paula still resides.

Living on the Gulf Coast, Sammy enjoyed boating and fishing, and especially camping on Caney Creek. He also enjoyed tinkering with cars. His children remember there always being at least one extra project car in the driveway. Sammy enjoyed traveling, and took his family on many trips across the United States and multiple trips to The Bahamas. He enjoyed listening to outlaw country music and picking his acoustic guitar. He had a soft heart when it came to animals and adored his cats, especially his constant companion Blanco. Sammy cared deeply about the world in which we live, the environment and human rights. He was knowledgeable about most any subject, and enjoyed discussions about everything from religion, politics, the environment in Brazoria County before EPA regulations, family history, economics, music, and the list goes on. His eldest daughter, Lana, misses these talks most of all.

Sammy is survived and missed by his sister, Carline Swilley of Livingston, Texas; his loving wife Paula (nee Batson) of 33 years; his daughter Lana Ritchie of Independence, Mo.; daughter Erica Ellison and son-in-law Dean of Kathleen, Ga.; daughter Katherine Ayers of Brazoria, Texas; and son Sean Gibson and daughter-in-law Stacy of Sweeny, Texas. He was a much-loved grandfather (PawPaw, Papa, 2-PawPaw, Pop) to grandchildren Ashleigh Ritchie of Independence, Mo.; Taylor, Jordan and Dalton Ellison of Kathleen, Ga.; Hailyn & Ashton Ayers of Salem, Ore; Sawyer "Four" Marsh of Brazoria, Texas; and Payton Gibson of Sweeny, Texas.

Sammy's wishes were to be cremated with no formal service, and his family has honored those wishes. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a donation be made in his name to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Texas.