Born in Blytheville, AR, Britt spent much of his youth outdoors duck hunting with his father, camping in the yard with his best friend Corky, looking out for his younger twin sisters Lue and Sue, and later working in his father’s drugstore as a soda jerk. Determined to prove wrong a school counselor who doubted his ambition to become a pharmacist like his father, he enrolled at Ole Miss, where he not only finished in two years, but at the top of his class and with honors, and all while finding time to partake in his share of revelry and shenanigans as a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. He was accepted into the University of Tennessee School of Medicine in Memphis, where he again finished ahead of schedule and at the top of his class. He was drafted into the Air Force and served as a general physician at Lake Charles Air Force Station in Lake Charles, LA, for three years before returning to Memphis to complete his internship and residency in urology. It was there that he met Pat, and after asking her for a date five times, she finally accepted. In the coming months, they became best friends over pitchers of beer and pizza, fell in love, and married at Grace-St Luke’s Episcopal Church on December 2, 1967. They moved to Decatur, AL, in 1968 (largely due to the great duck hunting in the area at the time), and Britt was recruited into the Urology Associates practice led by Claude Lavender.
Britt spent the next forty-plus years practicing urology and caring for his patients with great skill and compassion. A member of the American College of Surgeons, he was respected by peers and hospital staff for his surgical expertise. An introvert in many ways, he was known for his often wry and sarcastic humor and did not suffer fools gladly. He cared deeply for his patients, was often generous in treating those in need, and in return, was loved and respected.
Britt was passionate about the outdoors and spent as much time as he could duck hunting (many considered him a gifted caller). Nothing thrilled him more than a cold morning in a blind with a much-loved Labrador retriever, friends, and family. In his late thirties, he learned to ride horses and joined his wife as an avid fox hunter. He surprised everyone when, later in middle age, he picked up pottery and ultimately specialized in making beautiful raku pots that fill the homes of his family. He was proud to have sold a few pieces in a local gallery. He was an avid reader with a wide range of interests, including Civil War history, Cold War spy thrillers, mysteries, theology, and philosophy. He was grateful for any opportunity to travel and visit new places, and he and Pat enjoyed countless adventures over the years, including trips to England and Scotland, Austria and Germany, Mexico and Hawaii, the American Southwest, and even snowmobile riding in Montana. He cherished visits to his daughter Holly in Prague and experiencing the exciting changes occurring in Eastern Europe in the early years after communism. One of his favorite trips was fly fishing the Kenai River in Alaska with his son, Sam; the wonders of the scenery and the wildlife became precious memories. He found joy in music and loved Kris Kristofferson in particular, tormenting family, especially dogs and
grandchildren, with his renditions of “Me and Bobby McGee.” His grandchildren, who called him Pop and teasingly referred to him as“ the instigator,” were a constant source of joy. He enjoyed relaxing with his family, drinking beer, eating boiled shrimp or Chinese food, throwing the ball for one of the many beloved dogs over the years, reading in front of the fire, or watching storms roll in over the Gulf of Mexico. Each of these small things added to a life well-lived and a man well-loved.
In his final months and days, Britt frequently listened to country music from the late 60s and 70s. Perhaps it spoke to the touch of the outlaw his spirit possessed – a spirit that also included the healer, adventurer, artist and seeker. He was all of those things, but more importantly, he was a loving husband, father, and grandfather.
He was preceded in death by his father, Samuel Clifton Owens, his mother, Laura Owens, and his sister Lue Reid (Richard). He is survived by his wife, Patricia, his son Samuel Britt Owens, Jr (Carrie), his daughter Holly Howell, and his sister Sue Coleman (Don). He is also survived by his beloved grandchildren Owen, Britt (III), Caroline, and Paige.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alabama Wildlife Federation or Ducks Unlimited.
