Samantha Elizabeth Paxton
April 14, 1986 – January 18, 2025
Samantha entered this world on April 14, 1986, and exited this earthly realm on January 18, 2025. Samantha was born in Birmingham, AL. She attended Hewitt-Trussville Elementary School, Mountain Gap Middle School, and graduated from Grissom High School in 2004. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders in December 2010 from the University of Alabama. After working in the public sector, she transitioned to her most rewarding and chosen career in 2020 with the birth of her first child, Van. Bodie followed in 2022.
Samantha was a force of nature with a personality to match. Her hobbies were friendships and memory making. Once you met her, you were unlikely to forget her. Her bubbly personality usually lit up the room. Her laugh was genuine and infectious. She loved to talk, sing, dance with vigor, and travel. She never met a stranger and made people feel “heard and accepted”.
She was full of love, but her greatest love was for her children. When Van was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes two years ago, she met the challenge head on making sure she had the knowledge to give him the best care possible. She had a unique way of touching lives and continued this tradition by donating her organs. She was able to give her heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, eyes, and bone tissue to people in four states. Her legacy is allowing others to live and have improved health and eyesight. Her cousin, Jaimie, commented that whoever received her heart was truly gifted. As her gifts traveled to different states, I know that Samantha would have loved that she is still traveling along!
She was preceded in death by grandfather, James Tucker, grandmother, Gloria Paxton, and uncles, Danny Russell, and David Paxton. She is survived by her sons, William Van Howard and Bodie Bennett Howard; fiancé, Kyle Howard; and mother, Anita Giles (Tom), all of Huntsville; father, Thomas Paxton (Chryl), of Cleveland, AL; grandmother, Ann Tucker of Carbon Hill; grandfather, Roy Paxton, of Vincent; aunts, Denise Rollo (Wayne), and Debra Russell of Cullman; uncle, Greg Tucker, of Birmingham; first cousins (maternal) Kim, Gerald, Ashley, Valorie, Kelley, Seth, Jaimie, and Haley; (paternal), John David, Kyle, and Stone; and stepfamily, Beth, Holden, and William, Robert, Margie, and Miles. Samantha was loved by so many, and it is impossible to list the multitude of cousins and friends left behind.
Her family is gathering for a private burial and will announce the date for a celebration of life later.
In loving memory of Samantha, so full of grace,
Her vibrant personality, a light we can’t replace.
She loved and accepted everyone she knew,
With a heart so pure and a soul so true.
Her two boys, her treasures, her pride,
In their love, her spirit will forever reside.
She lit up every room with her radiant glow,
Leaving memories that will always grow.
She gave others life, her final gift so grand,
Through organ donation, she lent a helping hand.
Though she’s no longer with us, her light remains,
In the love and joy she shared, her essence sustains.
Rest peacefully, Samantha, in our hearts you stay,
A beacon of love, guiding us each day.
By: Ashley & Malaya
