Samuel Martin Grimes

Samuel Martin Grimes, 76, passed away November 10, 2021. Sam Martin Grimes was born on July 31, 1945, in Dyersburg, Tennessee, to deaf parents, James Martin Grimes and Doris Faye Richardson Grimes. Because Sam and his siblings, Jere, Carol and Tom could speak and hear, they were fluent in American Sign Language as well as spoken English. The family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1959 where Sam attended Hokoto Elementary and then Washington High School. He participated in football, basketball, track, and wrestling, graduating in 1964. He attended Phoenix College for one year and then enlisted in the U. S. Army. In June of 1966, the Army sent him to Vietnam. He served two tours as a Helicopter Crew Chief. Sam returned home in January of 1968 and was honorably discharged. Sam married his first wife, Christine, in April of 1968 Together they had two children, Annette Marie in 1971 and James Norman in 1973. Sam went to work for Western Electric from 1971 to 1976. Sam and Christine separated and eventually divorced. In 1976 he was hired by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office to serve and protect his community. In 1979 Sam met and married his second wife Trudy Stratton. In 1983 Sam, Trudy and Jim moved to Peoria, Arizona. Sam worked as a Deputy Sheriff for 25 years. He started on patrol and through the years served on the Tactical Operation Unit or S.W.A.T. team, Traffic Reconstruction, and Auto Theft. Sam loved serving his community which would carry over even after he retired from the Sheriff’s Office in 2001. Retirement didn’t last long as he soon started working as a private process server and then became a Deputy Constable for Maricopa County out of the Peoria Justice Court. Four years later he joined some of his old law enforcement comrades as a Court Security Officer at the Federal Courthouse. In 2010 Sam and Trudy started spending their summers in Snowflake. Eventually the cooler weather prevailed and they moved to Snowflake full-time in the summer of 2014. When he and Trudy moved up north he really did enjoy being retired until he saw a need in the community. In 2017 he started on the campaign trail and was elected Constable of the Snowflake/Taylor/Heber/Overgaard area and dutifully served until the spring of 2021. As you can see, Sam served his community all his adult life and was proud to do so. Any time that someone would thank him for his service in the armed forces he would always respond “Glad I could and I’d do it again if they asked”. Sam was an active member in the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 5 and the Snowflake Chapter of the American Legion. Sam’s work ethic started at an early age. Before he was 11, he had a paper route and caught catfish for local restaurants. He purchased his first motorcycle after he turned 11 and then his paper routes increased to 5. He also picked tomatoes and cotton for extra money. Before he enlisted in the Army he worked at McDonald’s. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Sam found great joy serving in many different capacities. Sam was a loving family man that enjoyed traveling. In his younger days you would often find him and his family on one of the many lakes throughout Arizona. When he semi-retired he and Trudy enjoyed traveling the country in their RV. Sam loved riding motorcycles and helping others fix their cars and equipment. Sam followed the Arizona Cowboys closely and was a great rodeo aficionado. One of their favorite get-aways was to attend the NFR in Las Vegas every December. They made many friends over the years and enjoyed those associations and their time with family. Sam is survived by his wife,Trudy, and two children, James and Annette (Bill); three Grandchildren, Christine (Anthony), Jacquelyn, and Alanna; three Great-Grandchildren; Alliana, Roman and Ekko; siblings, Tom and Carol. A viewing will be from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Friday, November 19, at Owens Livingston Mortuary, 84 E. 19 S., Snowflake. Funeral Services will begin 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 20th at the Main Street Chapel, 48 N Main St in Snowflake, with additional viewing one hour prior. Burial will follow at R.V. "Mike" Ramsay Memorial Cemetery in Snowflake, Arizona.