Sam Heard

Sam R. “Tiny” Heard passed away on May 8, 2018 of natural causes at his home.  He was born on April 6, 1929.  He was a life-long resident of Brooksville except while on a football scholarship at East Mississippi Jr. College and a few years in New York while working on the New Jersey Turnpike.  Big Tiny was loved by many and had a wonderful life.  He was first and foremost a farmer and a dreamer.  He built and developed Land of Lakes outside Brooksville near his home place in 1962.  He changed the lives of thousands of people by creating the “Lake”.  He loved the Brooksville Baptist Church serving as Deacon for many years.  He was Chairman of the Deacons when the Church built the Education Building which is still in use today.  Big Tiny loved politics and was part of building the modern Republican Party of Mississippi from the late 1960’s.  He served on the Mississippi Republican Party State Executive Committee for most of the 1980’s and was part of every major Republican race through the 2014 Mississippi Senate race.  He loved his blue birds and was renowned for helping bring them back from extinction in Noxubee County and anywhere he went.  He has over 40 blue bird houses scattered around family member homes with a full crop of babies being hatched right now.  He loved his family, especially his grandchildren and great grandchildren, Mississippi State University, especially MSU baseball, books, history, stories and life. He loved his wife of 69 years, Annie B. Heard, who survives him.  He passed over at 12:15 am peacefully holding her hand with other family members present. He was preceded in death by his oldest son, Sam R. “Tiny” Heard Jr.  He is survived by:  His daughter in law Lou Heard, and their children; granddaughter, Libby and Neel Abrams and great granddaughter Neely.  Grandson Richard and Katie Heard with great granddaughter Kirksey and great grandson Sam. Son Keith and Chrissy Heard and their children, granddaughter Virginia and her husband Aaron Barbatti and great granddaughter Valentina Belle, grandson Michael Pearl Heard and grandchildren Katie and Sam Cockburn.    Daughter Mary Ann and her husband Matt Murphy and grandsons Pierce, Stephen and Nathan Moore. He is also survived by his big brother Johnny Heard and his wife Peggy after having lost siblings Elizabeth, George and Jimmy.

A Funeral service is planned for Saturday, May 12, 2018 at 3 p.m. at Brooksville Baptist Church. Interment will follow in Brooksville Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the church from 1:30 until 3:00 p.m. Memorials may be made to Brooksville Baptist Church, P.O. Box 52, Brooksville, MS  39739 or the Wounded Warrior Project, 4899 Belfort Rd, Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL  32256. Cockrell Funeral Home of Macon is entrusted with arrangements.