Sam Henry Hunt, Jr.

CLEVELAND- Sam Henry Hunt, Jr. of Cleveland, MS passed away on November 16, 2021, at North Sunflower Hospital in Ruleville.

Cleveland Funeral Home will host a visitation for Sam on Monday, November 22 at 1 pm with a funeral service immediately following at 2:00 PM in the Cleveland Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow in the North Cleveland Cemetery. Reverend David Horton, Milton Bradley, and Tommy Taylor will officiate the services.

Sam was born on August 14, 1939, in Cleveland MS, and raised in Ruleville. Sam was raised on the family farm in Ruleville working many hours there when not in school. The lessons he learned on the farm served him well his whole life as he was known as a hard worker with a knack for being able to fix anything.
While a young man, Sam excelled in sports and music at Ruleville High School playing end on the football team, catcher on the baseball team and tuba player in the band. His senior year, Sam was named Mr. Ruleville High School.
After high school, Sam went on to serve his country as an aircraft mechanic in the United States Marine Corps serving honorably on active duty until 1961 and in the reserves before being honorably discharged in 1964.
In 1962, Sam married Corinne Tidmore of Drew at the Methodist Church in Drew. Sam and Corinne were happily married for nearly 60 years and had three children and four grandchildren whom they loved to spend their time with.
After his military service, Sam worked in many capacities including serving in the Cleveland Police Department, as a salesman for the local Ford dealership, and as a construction foreman for Simmons and Belk constructing grain elevators. Ultimately his knack for carpentry became his profession as Sam started his own construction company working many new construction and rehab projects for friends in the Cleveland area and ultimately building his own house just outside of town in 1992. Sam used his skills in carpentry in serving others by volunteering with Habitat for Humanity for several years. He was a member of Morrison Chapel Baptist Church for many years.

Sam was a man of few wants or needs and was most happy when surrounded by his family, sitting by the fire in his trusty chair reading a Louis L’Amour novel or having an early morning cup of coffee with his friends.

He was preceded in death by his father Sam Henry Hunt, his mother, Golda Mae Stewart Hunt, and his brother Frank Hunt of Minneola, Florida.

Sam is survived by his wife of almost 60 years, Corinne Tidmore Hunt; his children, Stacy Hunt of Cleveland Mississippi, Stephanie Karakurt (Ozden) of Collierville, Tennessee and Jennifer Chandler (Jon) of Castle Rock, Colorado; and his grandchildren, Emily Karakurt, Adam Karakurt, Addison Chandler and Elizabeth Hunt.

Pallbearers will be nephews Jeff Stewart, Jon Stewart, and Jarrod Stewart, sons-in-law, Ozden Karakurt and Jon Chandler, and grandson, Adam Karakurt.

Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38501 or Morrison Chapel Baptist 116 Morrison Chapel Road Cleveland, MS 38732.

Cleveland Funeral Home is in charge of services. The online guest register may be signed at www.clevelandfuneral@att.net.