Obituary

Sam Stickney, 'newspaper man throughout'

A long illness claims the 80-year-old's life after decades as reporter and columnist for three bay area papers.

By SHARI MISSMAN MILLER
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 28, 2003

BRANDON -- More than 20 years ago, Sam P. Stickney made it clear in one of his columns in the Tampa Times that when he died, things should be handled in a practical manner. No funeral, no services.

His wishes have been honored.

Mr. Stickney died Monday (March 24, 2003) following a long illness, and his remains were handled as he wished, cremated and held in the family. He was 80.

Mr. Stickney had a prolific career starting at the St. Petersburg Times in 1951. He moved to the Tampa Times in 1958, working until the paper closed in 1982. He continued his career at the Tampa Tribune until his retirement in 1988.

He wrote with purpose, never hesitating to stand up for what he believed. Even if it had to do with his own mortality.

In his 1981 column, in reference to his wishes for no pomp and circumstance, he told his family, "Seek your gratifications elsewhere and I hereby offer a blanket pardon for all sins, real or imagined."

He was serious, but in a funny sort of way.

His wife, Phyllis, said above all, "he was a newspaper man throughout." She met him at the St. Petersburg Times when she was a cub reporter and he was not yet 30. They married three months after meeting and remained together 51 years.

Forty-one of those years were spent in Brandon. Mrs. Stickney remembers how much her husband loved nature and working in their 2-acre back yard. "When he wasn't working at the paper, he loved to come out and spend time in the yard," she said.

There is no question that the newspaper was his first love, but he also enjoyed volunteering his time. He received referrals from the church and would reach out to youth in need.

"He was a understanding and considerate man," Mrs. Stickney said. "He really enjoyed helping others."

She said over the years, he kept in touch with many of those he helped. He was proud of them.

Other survivors include sisters Kathryn Morgan, Sylacauga, Ala., and Alice Walker Carmichael, South Sunny, Ala.; a daughter, Pamela McGlinchey, and her husband, Thomas, Windsor, England; twin 8-year-old grandchildren, Tiffany Elizabeth and Thomas LeRoy McGlinchey III.; and nieces and nephews.

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