Samuel David McCalla

Samuel David McCalla, age 80 years and 29 days, passed from this life on April 1, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. He lived in Canton, Texas. Sam was born March 4, 1934, the first child of Mae Pearl Dulworth and Charlie Pate McCalla, Sr. He was the oldest brother of Charlie Pate McCalla, Jr. (deceased), Mary McCalla Cunningham (surviving), and Donnie McCalla (surviving). Sam attended Lancaster schools, grades one through twelve, graduating in 1951. He was proud that he not only graduated from Lancaster High School, but that his Mother, Mae Pearl Dulworth, and all four of his children were also graduates of LHS. Sam proudly spoke of his Mother and Father and their life as farmers. After high school graduation in 1951, Sam helped his parents harvest their fall crops before beginning a 13 year career with M. E. Moses Company. He later worked for State Farm Insurance Company, Superior Lumber Company and DeFord Lumber Company. In 1977, he became one of the founding owners of Cabinet Door Company of Texas, Inc. He retired in 1999 after 24 years of building custom cabinet doors, and moved to Canton, Texas. Samuel David McCalla and Etta Marlene Seale, ages 19 and 18, were married in Dallas, Texas on August 14, 1953 and have celebrated a marriage of almost 61 years. They have four children, eight grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. Teri Lyn McCalla and Joe McGuire of Canton, TX are parents of grandsons, Jordan McGuire and 2nd Chief Petty Officer Cory McGuire; David Wayne and Janet Johnson McCalla of Greenville, TX are parents of grandsons Jeremy McCalla and Clint McCalla; Gary Don and Lori Lemons McCalla of Lucas, TX are parents of grandson Kyle McCalla; Lori Leigh McCalla and Berry Bailey of Crandall, TX are parents of granddaughters Brooke Bailey, Lauren Bailey and Blair Bailey; grandson Jeremy and Halston Bryan McCalla of Midland, TX are parents of great-granddaughter Lauren Paige and great-grandson (expected in May of 2014); grandson Clint and Sarah Bygel McCalla now live in Miami, Florida. Sam’s wife, 4 children, 8 grandchildren, and great-granddaughter were the greatest loves of his life. Sam has filled 6 notebooks about his life as a legacy for his family. He researched, charted and wrote about his ancestors, traveling throughout Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. He spent many hours in libraries, courthouses, state capitols and cemeteries in his research. He was an ardent student of the Confederacy, collecting stories, pictures and books of that period. Sam enjoyed fishing and hunting with his family. Hunting from a tree limb in Mason, Texas on a November morning, being his favorite place and time. He loved all sports with baseball and football being his favorites. He played both sports in high school. Later as a young father in 1959, Sam coached Little League T-Ball in Paducah, TX. His favorite memories of those young baseball teams were how they would chase butterflies and grasshoppers in the outfield and let the ball land unnoticed in the field nearby. His coaching continued with Little League teams on which his sons played. His interest in baseball led to his hobby of collecting baseball cards. Sam liked playing poker, and then talking about all the friends he had from poker games, often times re-telling specifically just the way the cards played out. Sam’s favorite movies were “The Sound of Music”, “Secretariat” and “Gods and Generals”. He loved listening to music with his favorite being “The Sound of Music”. Sam recently met a new friend at Baylor Hospital, Mary LeBus, who plays the harp. On her first visit with him, she played his favorite music from “The Sound of Music”. It was his request that she play the harp at his services. Sam had a personal relationship with God. He was baptized in the First Baptist Church of Quanah, Texas in 1964. He loved to plant and raise a garden, saying that working in the soil and planting seeds made him know that God is the Creator of all things big and small. Additional surviving family are Dorothy Ann and Harold Kimmel, Wynell Baker, Michael and Jeanette Seale, Mac and Rosemary Davis, David Dulworth. Generous acts of kindness and long friendships with Sam are remembered from Jearl and Mary Cunningham, Willie and Charlotte Nelson, the Neel Eggleston Family and neighbors of Van Zandt Club 20 Inc. in Canton. Sam’s family extends appreciation for Doctors, Nurses, and Health Care Techs at Baylor Hospital for their many hours of care.

Samuel David McCalla

March 4, 1934 - April 1, 2014