Sam Terry Rigdon, Sr.

Sam Terry Rigdon, Sr., age 94, passed away on Saturday morning, February 28, 2026, at his home in Buena Vista, Georgia. A funeral service will be held this week (date to be determined), at Buena Vista Methodist Church, with the Rev. David Hibberts officiating. Burial will follow at Buena Vista Cemetery, 124 East 3rd Avenue, Buena Vista, Georgia.   

Born on August 8, 1931, in Tift County, Georgia, Sam was the son of the late William Rigdon and Mary Emma Terry Rigdon. He attended Tift County High School, where he was a star on the football team, helping the Tift County Blue Devils reach the 1950 Georgia State Championship game. He was awarded a scholarship to play football at the University of Florida. 

He proudly served in the United States Air Force from 1952 to 1956, during the Korean War. He was assigned to serve in Japan, where he reached the rank of Staff Sergeant.  

Following his service in the U.S. Air Force, and after playing football for a season at the University of Florida and a season at Chattanooga State University, he found his way to the University of Georgia. He graduated from UGA in 1959 with a B.S. degree in Forestry. In 1958, he married the love of his life, Carol Barfield Rigdon, of Chula, Georgia. 

He was preceded in death by a sister, Evelyn Mims, and three brothers, Grady Rigdon, Nick Rigdon, and Ralph Rigdon. He is predeceased by his loving son, Sam Terry Rigdon Jr. of Augusta.

Sam was a Forester for thirty-eight years, retiring in 1997. For most of his career, he worked for Georgia Kraft and Meade Coated Board Corporation, and he later founded Forestry First, a forestry and land use consulting business.

Sam’s greatest passions were his Christian faith, his family, service in his Church, the study of Forestry, mentoring the youth of Marion County, and cheering on the University of Georgia Bulldogs.

Over the course of more than six decades, he has been a valuable member of Buena Vista First Baptist Church, New Community Church, and Buena Vista United Methodist Church, where he has served as a Sunday School Teacher, Director of Sunday School Programs, Deacon, and Moderator.

He was active in his local community and across the State of Georgia, serving as President of Georgia Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisors; Chairman of the Pine Mountain Soil and Water Conservation District; Chairman of the Georgia Tree Farmers Association; representative on the National Forestry Commission; member of the Marion County Chamber of Commerce; member of the Marion County School Board for 16 years; member of the Marion County Zoning and Planning Committee; President of the Lions Club; President of Tri-County High School Eagles Booster Club; and member of Gideons International. In 2012, he was recognized as Georgia Supervisor of the Year for GACDS.  

He was a Boy Scouts Scoutmaster for 12 years, where he mentored countless young men, including six Eagle Scouts. 

For several years, he directed the annual Forestry Field Day at Tri-County and Marion County High Schools, which became the biggest Forestry Field Day in Georgia, with hundreds of high school students competing on teams from over ten Georgia counties.  

His proudest accomplishment was the Walking Trail and Nature Center on the campus of Marion County High School and Middle School. His vision was to create a living classroom for the study of forestry and land management. He led a fundraising effort that accumulated over half a million dollars in private donations. With these funds and the work of the many volunteers he recruited, he led the construction of a 60 x 38-foot outdoor Nature Center pavilion, a one-mile walking trail, and the planting of at least one of each species of the 276 trees that are native to Georgia. The Walking Trail and Nature Center will be enjoyed by students and members of the Marion County community for many years to come.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Carol Barfield Rigdon, originally of Chula, Georgia – and to whom he was married for over 67 years; his sister-in-law Evelyn Rigdon; his daughter Linda Gilligan and son-in-law Matthew Gilligan of Roswell, Georgia; son John Rigdon and daughter-in-law Minda Rigdon of Buena Vista; daughter Sue Ann Mitchell and son-in-law Dr. Brian Mitchell of Watkinsville; granddaughter Cori Schubert and husband Max Schubert of Knoxville, Tennessee; granddaughter Brittney DeNova and husband Joey DeNova of Flowery Branch; granddaughter Ali Rae Reddoch and husband Jacob Reddoch, of Ashburn, Virginia; grandson John Rigdon of Knoxville, Tennessee; granddaughter Chloe Booth and husband Ben Booth of Roswell; granddaughter Mallie Gilligan and husband Jackson Wallace of Littleton, Colorado; grandson Matthew Gilligan of Roswell; granddaughters Brianna Mitchell, Emma Sue Mitchell, and Annslee Mitchell of Watkinsville; great grandchildren Magnolia Schubert, Cameron and Caiden Reddoch, Indie Jo DeNova, and Charlotte Wallace; and many nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews.

Memorial gifts may be made to Buena Vista United Methodist Church, 130 Broad Street, Buena Vista, Georgia, 31803; or Gideons International at https://www.gideons.org/donate or Gideons International Processing Center, P.O. Box 97251, Washington, D.C., 20090-7251.

Flowers are also accepted.