Stiles, Stanley Sam

29 Apr Stiles, Stanley Sam

Sam was a pioneer and active in the dairy department 

Stanley “Sam” Stiles went home on June 28, 2021 at the age of 93. He was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara (Bobbi Ann) Riggs Stiles and his son Robert Stiles. Sam loved Bobbi Ann, farming, talking about the weather and flirting with good looking women. He was a man who worked hard until he couldn’t. Late in life he came into a personal relationship with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Shepherds Heart Parish Community, especially Father Jerry Brown, helped Sam find the love of the Father.

After establishing his relationship with Jesus, Sam began a journey of living life with new direction. Sam transitioned into the role of caregiver for his lovely wife Bobbi Ann. It was with amazement and awe that his family and friends watched him set aside his dedication to the never-ending farm work in exchange for devotion to caring for Bobbi Ann. After her passing in May 2019 he became an official Saturday visitor to his friends and family in Montgomery County Maryland; where he lived, farmed and fox hunted for the first 58 years of his life. He carried Bobbi Ann’s picture in his shirt pocket and made sure every visitor to his home saw the memorial of pictures and memorabilia from their 66-year young marriage. 

Sam leaves behind his children, Kathy, Steve (Maria), Chris (Lori) and Joy (Terry) along with his grandchildren: Amy, Will, Nathan, Steven, Adam, Michael, Devin, Taylor, Rachel, Mary and Annie and his great- grandchildren: Ali, Jacob, Luke, Elizabeth, Gavin, Zack, Leighton, Madeline, Landon and soon to arrive Baby Girl Adams. 

Sam was the youngest of 14 children born prior to the Great Depression. He was born during a snowstorm on February 11, 1928. The doctor had to park in the neighbors drive and trek across the fields to the Stiles farm. His father was Nathan C. Stiles (known only as Pap) born in Aroostook Co., Caribou, Maine and moved to MD as a child. His mother, Grace B. Gaither Stiles, of the Gaithersburg founding family. The Stiles Family Farm of his birth was on Shady Grove Rd., now the sight of the Johns Hopkins University Campus at Shady Grove. Though they were not wealthy Sam did not ever remember going hungry. He remembers there was often an extra person at the dinner table as his mother was generous to those in need, often taking in children who were in need of food, shelter and/or medical attention. Everyone worked hard both on the farm and feeding the household. Sam and Bobbi Ann met through their involvement in 4-H. He missed her when she went off to get her Dairy Science degree at the University of Maryland. He wrote her letters and convinced her to marry him before completing her degree. She eventually went back to school and graduated after the birth of their eldest four children.