Stanley Eugene Sample

Stanley Eugene Sample was born on February 23, 1944, in the small town of Freedom, OK, and passed away on September 14, 2026, at the age of 82, at his home in Choctaw, OK, after battling COPD and lung cancer. He was the youngest of four children born to Elvin Elroy Sample and Alberta Mae (Cornish). He was preceded in death by his wife, Edith Marie (Elmore); his parents; his brother, Eldon Elroy Sample of Pasadena, TX; and his sister, Velva Marie Cooper of Deer Park, TX. He is survived by his sister, Bonita Joyce Witt of Maryville, TN; three daughters, Sheila Marie Pickrel and husband Brian of Keller, TX, Cheryl Lynn Sample of Choctaw, OK, and Teri Eugena Warren and husband Levi of Choctaw, OK; grandchildren, Anthony Michael Pickel, Kelli Marie Hillis and husband Cole, Ethan Granite Warren, and Gabriel Wade Warren; a great-granddaughter, Britain Marie Hillis; and numerous nieces and nephews. He attended his early school years in Freedom, OK, then moved to Borger, TX, in 1957, where he graduated high school in 1962. While in high school, he was baptized at the First Christian Church. He completed two years of study at Frank Phillips Junior College in 1964, focusing on engineering, before transferring to Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX. He graduated in 1967 with a degree in accounting. He met his wife, Marie Elmore while attending Texas Tech and they were married in September of 1968. His first job after leaving Texas Tech was with the U.S. Army Audit Agency in Atlanta, GA. His first assignment was auditing the contract for the NASA space building at Cape Canaveral, where the ATLAS rockets were assembled. Stan spent 11 years on assignment at every Army installation east of the Mississippi River, as well as an assignment in Panama City, Panama, where he played golf with a Chinese man who served as a water boy when the canal was built in the early 1900s. In 1976, he became the audit chief of the Fort Benning Audit Office. In 1978, he took a position with the U.S. Air Force Audit Agency in Warner Robins, GA, and in 1979 transferred to the audit agency at Tinker Air Force Base, where he worked until his retirement in January 2003. Stan was a devout Christian and attended Nicoma Park Christian Church in Nicoma Park, OK, where he served in many roles throughout his life, including Deacon, Elder, Chairman of various committees, Chairman of the Board, Treasurer, and Trustee. He loved to fish, hunt, play golf, and garden. He took great pride in his tomatoes and shared them with everyone in his life, often remarking that half the county had tried his tomatoes in some way or another. Witty and sarcastic, Stan was always telling jokes. He had an eye for perfection, especially in woodworking, and built many pieces of fine furniture in his lifetime, including hope chests for all of his daughters and his granddaughter.His memorial service will be held at Hibbs Funeral Home in Choctaw, OK, on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at 2:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations in his memory to Nicoma Park Christian Church to support their mobile meals and food pantry efforts.