Man’s faith lives on through generosity

By Jimmy LaRoue

Published: July 5, 2008

In the middle of a roofing job, Sam East learned of a man who needed, but could not afford, a new roof.
Immediately, East pulled his crew off the paying assignment and had it work on a new roof for the man – at no charge.
That, for Sammy, as friends and family called him, was typical of the kinds of things he would do for people.
East, of Crimora, was 42 when he died more than a year ago in a wreck on Interstate 64. His family maintains a roadside memorial for him.
Despite his passing, Sammy’s friends and family say they continue to see the evidence of his faith.
Two churches – one in Panama and another in Mexico – are being built and named in East’s memory in areas he visited on missions trips with Bible Holiness Church in Elkton.
His family said that when the Kuna Indians of Panama learned of Sammy’s death, “they just broke down and cried.” More than 3,000 people showed up at Johnson Funeral Home in Grottoes just two days after his death.
A Harley-Davidson motorcycle ride – Sammy owned five Harley’s – and a benefit dinner at Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant last year helped raise money for the two churches. Memorial contributions made at his Elkton church have also been used.
“His legacy, as he goes on – everybody that comes for help to those churches, he will be the one responsible for helping them. His life will go on helping people, which he’s done in the past,” said Sammy’s mother, Catherine East.
“ ‘I paid my tithes and God blessed me, and I’m going to share it.’ He told me that more than one time,” said his brother, Lee East. “And he did do that. Whatever he had, it was yours.”
Sammy never met a stranger, his family said.
Catherine East said from the time Sammy understood the concept of tithing as a young boy, he started giving back. His wife, Terry, described her husband as someone who was “always willing to give.”
“He gave a lot to the work of God,” Catherine East said.
Sammy’s father, Carl East, said his son would buy heating oil or groceries for those in need, asking to remain anonymous. He also used to give $100 bills to complete strangers, his mother said.
“He would donate to the needy,” said Lee. “He didn’t want his name brought up. They’re going to miss him this Christmas. He was just a giving, loving person.”
He also volunteered to put roofs on area churches. And a Grottoes restaurant, Sammy’s, opened in his memory this past April.
“He will continue to live on in our hearts,” said Catherine East. “His work for God will continue on in these churches. I know we will meet again.”
While alive, Sammy worked for McDonald’s before becoming a roofer and later starting his own roofing business – Sam East Roofing and General Contracting – in 1991. He loved the outdoors, and once rode his Harley on the Lewis and Clark trail.
Catherine East says life isn’t the same since losing a son, but it helps knowing he is still touching lives, even now. And life’s not the same for his wife, Terry, and their four children – Brandon, Tyler, Brianna and Savannah — either.
“Whatever he set his mind out to do, he would accomplish it,” said his brother, Jeff East. “He’s like a legend. He’ll always be with us.”
As much as his family continues to miss him – many of them went to his roadside memorial on May 9, the one year anniversary of his death – they say it’s a comfort knowing his mission work will continue to bear fruit. He lives on in the T-shirts his family wears, the photos they have, the memories they share and in their hearts.
“It brings a smile to your face to hear the good things,” Jeff East said. “He was a blessing while he was here.
“He’s still a blessing.”