Cloma Lynn Sams

June 24, 1956 - February 17, 2022

Cloma Lynn Sams of Marietta died February 17, 2022. Services will be held on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at 2 PM, with the hour beforehand serving as an opportunity for family, friends and others to meet, greet, comfort and pray with Cloma's family at Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home, Historic Marietta Chapel. The Reverend Bill Ross, Pastor of Marietta First Baptist Church, will be officiating. Interment will be at Kennesaw Memorial Park. As mentioned above, the family will meet and greet friends from 1 PM until 2 PM prior to her service. Cloma was born on June 24, 1956 in Orange, Texas. She graduated from Deweyville High School and then went on to begin her post-secondary education with college studies at Lamar University, completing her studies with a bachelor's degree from Kennesaw State University, also completing her paralegal certificate which was, as well, from KSU. Cloma worked as an executive assistant at numerous high-powered legal and employment related firms such as the labor law firm of Hunton & Williams; Employment Learning Innovations ("ELI"); and several law firms within the City of Marietta prior to accepting a position as the Executive assistant to President Tom Cousins at Cousins Properties. Thereafter, Cloma passed her real estate license exam on her first try and immediately began working with the Judy Ballard high-end residential team, a very successful real estate firm for 7+ years and then with Atlanta Communities from which she retired several years ago. Cloma married local attorney, Garvis Sams, Jr. on April 3, 1995. However, after retirement, Cloma, also known as CiCi, began her full-time job of being the best grandmother to Sams Blake Lyda, Rayme Claire Brown, and most recently (within the past week) to Arden Deborah Brown. Cloma has spent the last few years in competition with her husband, Garvis, to see which grandparent could garner the most love, attention and favoritism of each grandchild. It was a friendly and fruitful "competition" that constituted many hours of devotion, gifts and the imparting of her vast reservoir of wisdom and knowledge gained through her life experiences. For the past several years, Cloma and her husband, Garvis, have been dreaming, planning and scheming to purchase an RV coach....she used to like to call it her Ritz Carlfony on wheels. Their plans were successful, but never fully implemented with the onslaught of Covid, the nationwide economic crises, supply chain issues, and "holding out" for the perfect RV coach which Cloma 's husband characterized as a "rockstar coach!" They were, however, able to take long trips on many occasions and enjoyed at least a reasonable facsimile of the RV coach they ultimately wanted to purchase. Cloma never ventured far from home or her family without one of her various Kindles, which was emblematic of her voracious appetite for reading, entertainment, knowledge and an understanding of various times, places and other aspects of world travel of which she and her husband, Garvis, took full advantage. They traveled throughout the United States, including the Caribbean, all of Europe and other countries beyond, including Turkey, countries in Asia and other interesting, exotic and fabulous ports of call. When asked to describe Cloma Lynn, the words vivacious, loving, constant laughter and bantering are the first that come to mind. She loved to joke, play and "pick" with her daughters, grandchildren and her friends. Cloma literally relished being the most integral part of her loving family. Cloma passed away exactly one year to the day that her mom passed last year in 2021. In fact, she lost both parents within a matter of 10 months and, since has often been heard by her husband "planning to call" her mom and dad after they passed away just by virtue of her habit of doing so for so long. Cloma sacrificed everything for the benefit of her family, her loving husband, her friends, colleagues and other folks with whom she made contact. She was loving, generous and giving and it was noticed, loved and appreciated by all. She is predeceased by her parents named above who recently passed away in Texas; however, she is survived by her daughters, Alisha, Amy and Emily; and her grandchildren, Sams, Rayme Claire and Arden. Also, she is survived by her very loving, devoted and total soulmate, husband, Garvis Sams. The family acknowledges, thanks, and will be ever grateful for her personal care physician, Dr. Richard Griffith and his staff; the emergency personnel at Kennestone Hospital who were incredibly compassionate, patient, knowledgeable and kind; and the incredible staff at Tranquility Hospice on Kennesaw Avenue, for which her husband served as a civilian advisory board member on two different occasions for a total of 20+ years. Any donations made in her honor to your own personal charity would be appreciated. For Cloma, McKenna Farms is her charity of choice and she would definitely prefer that any money expended be provided to that incredible organization. McKenna Farms provides innovative therapeutic programs and resources for children with special needs and their families. Donations to McKenna Farms may be made in loving memory of Cloma Lynn at: Mckennafarms.org/donate