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Obituary

Samuel Lee Disney, born on September 7, 1934, in Frog Level Appalachia, KY, passed away on September 10, 2024, in Adrian, MI, at the age of 90.
Samuel was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Janis Disney; his parents, Ben and Matilda Disney; and his siblings: Herbert, Eulis, Johnny, Betty Johnson, Clarence, Edna, Bonnie Adkins, Claude, Ronald, Bruce, Kenneth, and Roger Disney.
He is survived by his children: Lisa (Jeff) Schurr, Cathy (Rob) Ellis, and Mark (Leah) Disney. His memory will be cherished by his grandchildren: Sara (Zach) Stuart, Joe Schurr, Matthew Schurr, Stephanie Schurr, Audrea Ellis, Koti Ellis, Erica Ellis, Tyler Disney, Haley Disney, Angie Joiner, Stephanie Joiner, and Matt Joiner. He also leaves behind his great-grandchildren: Ezra, Moselle, Izzy, Niklaus, Kolson, Archer, Halen, Chloe, and Quinn.
In addition, Samuel is survived by his youngest brother David (Linda) Disney, brother-in-law Johnny Johnson, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, family members, and friends who will miss him dearly.
Samuel's legacy of love and dedication to his family will continue to be felt for generations to come.

Samuel was born and raised in Kentucky, along with 13 other siblings. Sam grew up poor and did not have much as a child. Despite not having much money, he was very proud of who he was and the family he came from. Once 
Sam was around the age of seventeen, he left home to pursue a job in Michigan. He began working at General Motors where he worked for 42 years. He was a very hard worker and lived his life taking care of others. Sam would send money back home to his parents to help with any family needs and younger siblings. Sam Loved to help anyone in any way he could. Whenever anyone had any vehicle or appliance issues; he was there to help. He loved being outside gardening and tearing broken things apart to fix them back up. He was always working with his hands; he did not have much of an education but he was still a jack of all trades, just by learning from others and doing things himself. He was a very humble and simple man. After working for some time and with help from his brother-in-law, Johnny, and other family members, Sam bought a house and moved his parents and younger siblings up to Michigan. Sam wanted to make sure his parents had things in the house that they never were able to afford before such as a stove, washer/dryer, and more. He was a very generous man, especially for those he cared about and loved deeply. Sam ended up buying the house right next to his parents and decided to start a family of his own. He married the love of his life, Janis, and had 3 beautiful children. Sam's children remember when they were younger, he would go to their grandparents' house and the next-door neighbors who were also, older people to get their grocery list and shop for them. Sam's children also remember while growing up, they would have pig roasts and backyard parties where Sam's brothers, childhood friends and most of the neighborhood would come. Some would bring instruments and play blue grass music and drink into the early morning while sharing special moments. There was a lot of good times they remember with their father. Sam was a hillbilly through and through and he was proud of it. He loved telling stories about growing up His family ate a lot of ground hog, since they grew up during the depression so they had to eat what they could hunt. He would tell stories about living with his grandparents and learning how to help them butcher their hogs and make moonshine. Sam had a lot of life stories to tell that made him very happy. Sam overall was a good-hearted, no-nonsense kind of person we all admired and loved deeply with all our hearts. Samuel has always been a role model many looked up to and will forever be. He inspired and motivated his children, grandchildren and anyone around him to do what makes them happy and get them further in life. Samuel's life stories and many lessons will never be forgotten.