Dr. Samuel Clyde Winchester, Jr. Cary - Dr. Samuel Clyde Winchester, Jr., 89, went to be with his Lord and Savior on November 14, 2024.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, November 23, 2024, at 2:00 pm in the chapel at Shepherd's Church, 6051 Tryon Road, Cary, NC. A graveside service will be held on Sunday, November 24, 2024, at 1:30 pm at Pinewood Memorial Park in Greenville, NC.

Born in Archer Lodge, NC, Sam was the son of Samuel and Grace Barnes Winchester, the oldest of three children. He graduated from Greenville High School in 1954, where he then enlisted in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne. While serving, he began courting the love of his life, Sylvia Weeks, while she was at the Medical College of Virginia. They married in 1957 after his military service, and he enrolled at the University of Richmond. Once she completed her BS in Nursing, he transferred to N.C. State University and graduated in 1960 with degrees in Chemical Engineering and Math. Sam went on to Princeton University, graduating with a Master's and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and began a career with E.I. Du Pont for 27 years. After working at several plants along the east coast, his last position was at the Kinston plant as Director of Research and Development for Dacron. While in Greenville, Sam was an adjunct professor at East Carolina University, served as pianist and organist for Red Oak Christian Church, and also enjoyed growing Christmas trees on the family farm.

When Sam retired, he and Sylvia moved to Cary where he had accepted the Klopman Professor Chair at N.C. State and taught for 10 years. While there, he aided in the development of a new Ph.D. program in management for the College of Textiles and ran a successful engineering consulting business. They enjoyed life with their grandchildren and many wonderful times at their beach house in Emerald Isle. He became active at Shepherd's Church in the formation of their seminary, where he received a Master's in Biblical Literature. He also spent countless hours working on the ancestral genealogy of his and Sylvia's families, as well as lineages for friends.

Sam will be remembered for his kind and humble nature, along with his quick wit. He loved sports and travelling with his wife, but most of all, he was a man devoted to Christ and his family. A loving husband, Dad, Papa, uncle, and friend, he will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.

He was preceded in death by his parents, son-in-law, Joseph A. Sasser, and stepmother, Ethel Causey Winchester.

Surviving are his loving wife of 67 years, Sylvia Weeks Winchester; daughter, Amy Mattheis and husband, Joe; daughter, Elizabeth Collins and husband, Paul; grandchildren Jackson Mattheis; Adam Mattheis; Mason Collins and wife, Caroline; Gena Hall and husband, Andrew; and Benjamin Sasser; great grandchildren James Collins and soon to be Samuel Paul Collins in December 2024; sister, Jane Pridgen and husband, Marvin; sister Kathryn Manning and husband, Don; stepbrother, Doug Causey and wife, Cassie; stepbrother Ed Causey, and stepsister, Fleming Wooten, and many treasured cousins, nieces, and nephews.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Summer, Brandi, Liz, Carole, and Doug of Transitions Life Care, Chaplain Kathryn of Glenaire, and many wonderful friends around them.

The family will receive friends following the service. Memorial contributions may be made to the Shepherds Theological Seminary of Cary, NC.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." John 5:24

Arrangements by Wilkerson Funeral Home & Crematory, Greenville. Online condolences at www.WilkersonFuneralHome.com.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Daily Reflector from Nov. 18 to Nov. 25, 2024.

Memories and Condolences
for Samuel Winchester

Sponsored by Wilkerson Funeral Home and Crematory - Greenville S.G. Wilkerson and Sons, Inc..

7 Entries

Melanie Smith

November 26, 2024

Sylvia this goes back a time ago when you were our customer and friends at Dawsons in Greenville and we even got our Christmas trees from you anyway sounds like Sam and you had a very fullfilling life together RIP Sam.

Myra Gregory

November 24, 2024

Sylvia was probably my first friend and Sam was a favorite in-law. I didn´t know him in the early years, but after Joe and I retired, I met him at a Weeks family function. I didn´t get to know him, however, until he began to research the Weeks ancestry. I was totally amazed at the family treasure he put together for us-going back several generations. More recently he began to update the book with a second edition. Our family has become quite large as the grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren began their own families. I was able to help with some of the family updates and got to know and love Sam through texts and phone calls. I´ll remember his gift to us often as I pick up the Weeks Legacy Book to check a name or a date. I loved hearing him play the piano-his love of music was so evident when he began to play. I´m sure he´s playing beautiful music today to glorify our Heavenly Father in eternity. My prayers for peace and beautiful memories Sylvia and family.

Heartfelt Condolences Arrangement- BASKET INCLUDED

Mrs. Amy's Preschool Class

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Carolyn Gelb

November 21, 2024

My Friend Sam

Sam Winchester made a lasting impression on me right from the start. As he stood in the hall at Colonial Baptist Church, discussing the seminary, he approached me and asked me about attending. I said I was too old, and he laughed and said he was older than I was and that if he could do it, anyone could. His humor and encouragement were both inspiring and comforting. He motivated me by sharing his experience and optimism, so I registered.

Sam and Sylvia sat with a young boy at the seminary programs. Sam and Sylvia were remarkable in their commitment to family and willingness to share their lives with a grandson, especially at a later stage in life when they had already raised two wonderful daughters. Helping with a grandchild for a while requires immense love, patience, and energy, and it's clear that they embraced that role entirely. It's beautiful how their dedication and selflessness stood out to me, even from a distance. Their actions seem to have been a testament to the strength of their character and the depth of their love for their family.

As we spent more time with Sam and Sylvia, we got to know them well. We traveled with them to hear AL Mohler at the Billy Graham Center and on a Road Scholar experience, where we learned about Applacalian life and visited Biltmore. We stayed in a retreat center in Black Mountain. We would have dinners together, and Sam would tell the best stories. Sam is an intellectual but has extraordinary social graces that do not always accompany intellectuals.

Sam used his gifts to help start Shepherd's Theological Seminary and continued to volunteer for many years. Larry Pettegrew, one of my favorite professors and dean of the seminary, said he would not have done well without Sam. He made no bones about it to his classes; he said that Sam's business sense was vital to the success of STS.
His ability to combine his intellectual gifts with practical business sense made a lasting impact. Starting and supporting STS at our church was no small feat, and it was inspiring to know how he kept volunteering until his health made it too complicated. Sam also had a humility about him, quietly enabling the seminary's success without needing the spotlight.

Sam's dedication to the Lord and his commitment to the seminary has left a lasting legacy. His influence, through his business acumen and personal example of faith, has touched many lives-students, faculty, staff, and beyond. His impact has extended beyond the seminary walls and into my life and the lives of others, which speaks volumes about his character and the depth of his devotion. His work wasn't just about building an institution; it was about shaping hearts and minds for the Lord, and that influence is a powerful testament to his faith. Oh, how I love this man.

The STS Seminary has had a profound and lasting impact on my spiritual life, partly thanks to Sam's involvement. The knowledge and insights I gained there and from Stephen Davey's preaching have shaped my faith meaningfully. I feel enriched by what I learned and have tried to apply those lessons in my own life.

Thank you for being my friend, Sam. You are such a blessing to me.
I will miss you.

Nancy Turner

November 19, 2024

Sam was such a wonderful man and a good friend. He was one of the kindest, most sincere people I have ever known and we will miss his warm smile here in the office. Sylvia, Beth and Amy, you are all in my thoughts and prayers.

Ginger & Bruce H. Baker

November 18, 2024

Bruce and I are so very sorry in the loss of our dear friend and classmate. Sam was truly a humble and genuine friend. We have many loving memories, more from years ago. Last time we saw him and classmate Sylvia was our 63rd class of 1954 reunion. Many blessings for his family. Ginger & Bruce Baker

Ray Evans

November 18, 2024

Sam was a great guy. Our families would go on vacations together when we were teen agers. He will surely be missed. Ray Evans

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