Sam C. Winfree

Winfree, Sam C. age 89, passed away peacefully at his home on Saturday, September 27, 2008 after suffering from leukemia for the past several months. Born in Lebanon, TN. He was the son of Sam C. Winfree and Sadie A.(Paschal) Winfree. His family moved to Florida in 1922, where Sam spent his childhood. Following graduation from Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, FL., he worked for Ford Motor Company and Prudential Insurance prior to World War II. He served with distinction in the Army Air Corps, 15th Air Force, 454th Bomb Group, as a B-24 pilot. While on his final mission on Friday, October 13, 1944, his plane was shot down over Hungary and he was hospitalized in Budapest before being sent to Stalag Luft I prison camp by train. He remained in the prison camp until the end of the war. Among other awards, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart for distinguished service to his country. After World War II, he was based at Wright Patterson Air Base in Dayton, OH. He resigned his commission in 1947 and settled in Fairborn, OH. Sam was a partner in Art Homes and Hupp and Roehner construction companies which developed and built prominent housing developments throughout the Dayton and surrounding areas. He was a past President of the Fairborn Lions Club where he was a member for 30 years and was active in community affairs in Fairborn. After retirement, Sam and his wife traveled extensively throughout the world and finally settled in Tennesse. Well-liked and highly regarded by everyone who met him, he enjoyed boating and spending time by the ocean in Sarasota, FL. He is survived by his wife of 61 years Leola J.(Keller) Winfree; son and daughter-in-law, Robert and Mary Winfree of Fairborn, OH; daughter and son-in-law, Susan and Ken Heile of Cincinnati, OH; grandson and wife, Robert and Sarah Winfree, and other grandchildren Jacqueline Winfree, Lia Heile and Kenneth Heile. He was preceded in death by his sister and brother-in-law, Mary Frances and Harsen Cadwell of Fairborn, OH. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Shriners Hospitals 2900 Rocky Point Dr., Tampa, FL. 33607 or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN. 38105. Funeral service will be in the Rotunda of the Tennessee State Veterans' Cemetery, Lyons View Pike, at 11:30 am, Thursday, October 2, 2008. Smith Funeral & Cremation Service, Maryville, TN, 865-983-1000. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Sam C. Winfree please visit our Sympathy Store.