SAMUEL HOLDER

Dr. Samuel Boyd Holder, 83, of Sonora, Texas, died of natural causes on the morning of September 4, 2021.

Sam was the first son born on April 15, 1938 in Clarksville, Texas to Samuel R. and Lucy Holder. He grew up in Rosalie, Texas, on a dairy farm. He raised minnows to sell with Bob, his younger brother. He had 4H award winning calves, grew pine trees on 2 acres of the farm for a 4H project and helped out on the farm. He was baptized at the Rosalie Baptist Church as a teen. Sam was treasurer at the time of his graduation from Bogata High School and attended Paris Junior College earning an Associate in Arts degree. He then attended the University of Houston and was a member of the Alpha Epsilon Delta Honors Society until he was accepted into dental school. He obtained a license at Herman Hospital School of Technology and became a lab technician and phlebotomist while attending Dental School. Sam attended The University of Texas Dental School Houston as a member of Omicron Kappa Epsilon Honor Society and graduated with honors in 1964.

After graduating from dental school, he became a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force Dental Corp as a Captain. Once his Air Force commitment was over in 1966, he moved his family to Linden, Texas. Opening his dental practice in Linden with the help of B.B. Boon in 1966, he also had in the back of the office, Glenda’s Tropical Fish business until he moved out of this office space. He moved from his original dental office from Main Street to Houston Street in 1972 and practice dentistry for a total 39 years. Sam was the President of the 1st District Dental Association, a member of the Land O’ Pines Dental Study Club, a member Texarkana Dental Society, as well as, many other dental associations. He loved all aspects of dentistry but a stroke prevented him from practicing longer.

Active in the Linden community, he was the president of the Linden Round Up Club Rodeo Association. He was a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician, the on call dentist at Linden Hospital and a Hospital Board member. He served as a City Councilman, a City Commissioner and as the Mayor of Linden. He was a member of the Lions Club, served as the secretary of the Cass County Landowners Association and was on the Cass County Appraisal Board. He also served as the Vice Chair of the Caddo Area Council of the Boy Scouts. A Deacon and Sunday School Teacher at the First Baptist Church, he was also a Baptist Youth Sponsor. He volunteered to organize, drive and chaperone many church trips. He often had catfish (fresh from his catfish ponds) fries for his Sunday School Class. Sam bought a farm and raised cows for years until his children were about to leave for college then decided to sell the cows and have his kids help plant pine trees.

As a conservationist, he was a member of the Texas Forestry Association. He and his children won the Texas Tree Farmer Award, the Award of Merit Tree Farm Award for the Northern Zone and a Fort Worth Telegram Award for tree farming. He ran a greenhouse, Glenda’s Plants and Flowers, selling his plants to support his hobby. An avid outdoorsman, Sam loved to fish and hunt. He would go bass fishing often and had trophy fish hanging on his wall to prove his skill. Quail and pheasants were his hunting preferences. Sam was