Samuel Edwin Woffindin

WOFFINDIN, Samuel Edwin, passed away peacefully at his home in Asheville, NC on Dec. 20, 2021, just ten days shy of his 99th birthday. He was deeply loved. Sam was the son of Joseph and Lillie Woffindin (née Neuman) of Landsdale, PA, and reared by his mother and very special grandparents. He was graduated from Lansdale High School in 1940 where he was a member of the student senate and a star athlete, lettering in football, basketball, and baseball. He attended both Juniata and Swarthmore Colleges prior to his enlistment in the U. S. Navy in 1942. After graduation from Cornell Midshipman School in Ithaca, NY, with the rank of Ensign, Sam served aboard the USS Lavaca, an attack transport ship, in the Pacific theater for the remainder of the war. He was in Yokohama Bay on the day of the Japanese surrender. After his naval service, Sam returned to Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA to complete his BA degree in Sociology. He married the late Ruth M. Bennett of Indiana, PA in 1950. His sons from that union were David and Philip. They were joined in later years by a beloved niece and nephew, Leona “Lee” and Ed, who became an integral part of their family. Sam served as Youth Director of the YMCA in Greenfield, MA, then went to work for Fischer & Porter Company, an engineering and manufacturing firm, in Warminster, PA where his position in Human Resources culminated three decades later as their National Marketing Manager. And as a resident of Doylestown, PA, Sam was active again in the YMCA, serving as President of the West Bucks County chapter and overseeing the organization’s move into a new building. He also served as President of the United Methodist Men’s group in Doylestown and as President of the Kiwanis Club in that city. Following his early and restless retirement from Fischer & Porter, Sam returned to work in human resources and sales for North Penn Transfer and for Keenan Motors in Doylestown, PA, as well for several firms in Asheville after his move there in 1995. Several years after coming to Asheville, Sam married Ann Marie Decker (née Sossamon), a native of Bryson City. Together they found their treasured church home at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Asheville. Sam was also active in the community, an avid tennis player, and enjoyed theater, music, and other art forms. Sam is survived by his wife of 22 years, Ann Marie, and her children, Jon, Michael, and Brett Decker; Sam’s sons, David Bennett Woffindin (Dorothy) of Lambertville, NJ and Philip Ashton Woffindin (Donna) of Lancaster, PA; nephew Edwin “Ed” Morby (Connie) of Doylestown, PA, and niece Leona “Lee” Morby Licari of Ft. Walton Beach, FL; five grandchildren, Kate Kasabo (Kyle), Joy, Abby, Libby and Gabriel Woffindin; grandnieces Laura Morby Scuss (Ian), Kristen Morby (Jordan), Sarah Murdock and Leslie Childs (Joey); grandnephew David Licari. The family wishes to extend their gratitude for Sam’s care at the VA Hospital, at Asheville Cardiology; and to his nurses Sarah Lee and Sonja King; and special caregiver and friend, Gail McWithey. A Celebration of Life service will be held at First Congregational UCC, 20 Oak Street, on Saturday, February 19, at 2:00 PM pending COVID protocols. A private interment at Bryson City Cemetery will follow. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to First Congregational UCC, PO Box 3211, Asheville, NC 28802-3211 or to Mountain Care, PO Box 5956, Asheville, NC 28813.

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