Sammy Dagenhart

Sammy Ray (Sam) Dagenhart, age 74, of Statesville, NC, died April 8 at Gordon Hospice House.

He was born in Statesville, NC on December 18, 1949 to Calvin Julius Dagenhart and Louise Gwendolyn Holmes Dagenhart. Sam attended North Iredell High School and then went on to study Engineering at UNC-Charlotte, graduating in 1972. During his time at UNC-Charlotte, Sam met Susan (Susie) Lynn Query and the two married in 1973 and had two children. Sam and his family settled in Concord, NC, and Sam spent the majority of his career working for American Circuit Breaker Corporation in Albemarle, NC and Breakers Unlimited in Norwood, NC. After Susie’s death in 2012, Sam later returned to his childhood home in Statesville to care for his mother and stayed in his hometown for the remainder of his life.

Sam was a collector at heart. He loved attending coin shows, antique malls and estate sales all over the state and beyond, hunting for treasured antiques to keep or resell. It was this beloved hobby that led Sam to meet Linda Sly, who shared his love of collecting, and the two were married in 2020. He also enjoyed learning about his family history and heritage, spending a lot of time studying his family’s genealogy and sharing stories of his ancestors with his children.

Sam was the patriarch of his family that grew by leaps and bounds over the past 16 years as his nine grandchildren were born. Known to them as “Daddy D” he will forever be remembered as a fun-loving grandfather with a great sense of humor and a deep love for his family.

Sam was a faithful member of Abilene Church of Christ, where he attended nearly every service and served the church in a variety of roles. His faith in God was strong, and he now rests in the arms of his Savior.

Sam was preceded in death by his parents and Susie. He is survived by his wife Linda of Statesville, NC; his children Courtney (Justin) Hucks of Mint Hill, NC and Shane (Brittany) Dagenhart of Concord, NC; and his grandchildren, Noah, Vivian, Grant, Thatcher, Julian, Sullivan, Roman, Tucker and Truett.

A memorial service will be held at Abilene Church of Christ on Saturday, April 13 at 2 p.m. (120 Bell Farm Rd. Statesville, NC). The family will receive friends afterward. In lieu of flowers, donations to Abilene Church of Christ’s Cemetery Fund in Sam’s memory would be appreciated.