Nancy "Sam" Samuels

1942 - 2019

Nancy "Sam" Temple Samuels, passed away Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019, at her Long Lake, Minn., home. She was 77 and had been in hospice.
In addition to husband Seth Hoyt, she is survived by her children, Terrell Wick, of Santa Monica, Calif.; Will Wick (Jen Kelly), of Sausalito, Calif.; and Jason Butts, of St. Paul, Minn.; Seth's daughters, Sky Hoyt and Jessie Hoyt (Chris Fondulas), of Stonington, Conn. and Alix Hoyt Ward, of Westport, Conn.; Will's step-children, Miles Kelly, Sabine Kelly and Luisa Kelly, of the San Francisco Bay area; plus Sam's seven grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
She was born in Louisville, Nov. 9, 1942, to the late T. William Samuels and Marjorie Mattingly Samuels, of Bardstown. She was the second of three children, and is survived by older brother, T. William Samuels Jr. (Nancy Johnson), of Prospect. The Samuels family are multi-generation Kentucky distillers, and the creators of Maker's Mark bourbon. A graduate of St. Catherine's in Richmond, Va., Sam attended Pine Manor College in Wellesley, Mass., and earned her BA from Centre College, Danville, where she was voted homecoming queen her senior year. She worked in New York City after college, then served in the Peace Corps in Colombia, where her daughter Terrell was born. Sam had great passion for Native peoples and their culture. Shash Lakai, her American Indian- centric retail business, was ahead of its time. Nancy was an outdoor person, and an accomplished athlete. She excelled at tennis, paddle, skiing, golf, and horseback riding. For many years she was a member of the Lake Minnetonka Garden Club. Sam was a piano player. She could sing, dance, sculpt and paint. She was a passionate reader, an accomplished chef; and had an innate appreciation of design, antiques, fine arts and an eye for photography. She may be best known for her rug hooking creations. She spent a year hooking a life-like diorama of the Maker's Mark distillery in Loretto. A Churchill Downs creation features jockeys in silks around the rug's oval perimeter. "Poppina," as she was lovingly called, designed and hooked a Christmas stocking for each of seven grandchildren - Hadley, Oliver, Duncan, Isabela, Hugo, Diver and Wakeman. Sammy's creations reflected the unique personality of each child. Nancy valued family and friendship above everything. She was generous, loyal and fun to be with. Her friendships spanned multiple generations; she is especially mourned by younger friends, for whom she served as surrogate mother, and trusted confidante and advisor. A service of thanksgiving will be held on Thursday, Dec. 5, at St. Edward the Confessor Church, 865 N. Ferndale Road, Wayzata, Minn. Visitation will be at 10 a.m. and the service at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a contribution in Nancy's name to Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital Hospice: foundation@parknicollet.com.
Rettinger Funeral Home, Long Lake-Orono, is in charge of arrangements.