Samuel Henry Parsons was born in Lynchburg, VA on May 31, 1949, the second son of Edward and Elisabeth Parsons. He left this earth on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 surrounded by his family. Sam was a Renaissance man. He was horseback from a young age, breaking colts and working local cattle ranches, most notably Black Watch Farm in Forest (now Ivy Hill). He and his family trained and showed Tennessee Walking Horses along the east coast. He graduated from Holy Cross High School, then joined the Marine Corps, serving during the Vietnam conflict (Oorah!). His heart then took him out west where he ran hunt camps, worked cattle ranches and attended West Texas State University. Returning home, he attended Virginia Tech, majoring in creative writing. He wrote articles for western magazines, local newspapers, and even published a few of his own short story collections. Sam was well read and could discuss almost any issue ongoing. His memory was impeccable with locations and people’s names. He was also extremely funny although a lot of his jokes were corny. He was a quick judge of a person’s character. Animals had his heart, including his current pups Houston and Cameron and Dixie the cat. His professional career was in real estate, first working at Smith Mountain Lake in the early years, selling property by boat. He then moved to Lynchburg where he owned a tropical plant business and continued to sell unimproved property and farms as well as land tracts he bought and subdivided for resale. He was in the livestock business until his death. He took special pride in producing top quality cattle and never scrimped on what it took to do that. Sam never met a stranger. He did not light up a room, he commandeered it. He was known for always wearing his cowboy hat. You never had to wonder what he was thinking, and, in some cases, you did not like it (didn’t change it though). He loved his country, the constitution and his family with all his soul. He is survived by his former wife, Ginger Parsons and the mother of their son, William Samuel Parsons and his wife Sarah. His current wife, Dee Parsons; and his stepsons, whom he treated as his own also survive him; Josh Grinnan and his wife Christina and Zac Grinnan and his wife Chelsea. He is further survived by his brother, Ed and wife Susan, niece Beth Parsons Bird and husband John and their children, Holland and Harrison. Time stood still the day his grandsons were born, Walker Samuel, Elliot Thomas and Tate William. He survived the past three years simply from the motivation of spending more time with them. He will be greatly missed; his loss leaves a huge void in the Parsons and Grinnan world. No one will fill your boots, Sam. A gathering celebrating Sam’s life will be held at a future date. He had many charities, and our mailbox is full of the gifts sent out by them due to his generosity. If you wish, make a donation to your favorite charity in Sam’s name. Arrangements by Burch-Messier Funeral Home, Bedford, 540-586-7360.