If you knew Sam, a.k.a. “Butch,” you probably know how he’d respond to this obituary. He would snatch the paper (or tablet) from your hands, eyes wide behind gold-rimmed glasses, and read it over carefully. When he finished, he would chuckle.
“Had to see what you knuckleheads said about me.”
That was Sam: sharp, funny, and always in control. And Samuel Goins Jr., 74, remained that same strong-willed man until his final breath on April 4, 2025. He knew this day would come, but never spent a moment waiting for it. All his life, he was a fighter — from his days spent with the Black Panther Party and the U.S. Army (based in Fort Ord) to becoming the first Black IT technician at San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid, to the long health battles he refused to submit to.
A longtime resident of Vallejo, Calif., Sam was the life of the party — a man who could make you feel like you’d known him for 20 years, even if you just met. He loved his sports, science fiction and superheroes (he could talk Spider-Man with you all day), and he never stopped dreaming up new ways to live on his own terms.
He is survived by two daughters, Asia and Aurlia, one son, Sam III, and six grandchildren.
Though he has left this world, he stood tall and lived wide.
Sam’s larger-than-life presence carries on in our souls forever.
