Samuel C. Hyde, Sr.
(March 8, 1923 – February 23, 2008)
Samuel C. Hyde, Sr. passed away at the Richard Murphy Hospice House in Hammond on Saturday February 23, 2008. He was born the son of Hattie Amacker and Claiborne Fernando Hyde in Amite, Louisiana on March 8, 1923. He was a lifelong resident of Amite and an active member of the First Baptist Church. He attended schools in Amite and Hammond and became an Eagle Scout at age 16. He served as scout leader and Field Executive with the Boy Scouts. In 1942 he joined the army and volunteered to serve in the 17th Airborne Division which served as an elite unit created to jump behind enemy lines to initiate the invasion of Germany. In December 1944, the 17th Airborne was rushed to Belgium to help check the German offensive known as the Battle of the Bulge. The Third Battalion 513th Parachute Regiment, of which Hyde was a member, was ordered to take the strategic crossroads village of Flamierge near the crucial road junction at Bastonge. After securing the village, the Third Battalion was cut off and surrounded when supporting units surrendered to the attacking Germans. Ordered to hold at all cost, the Third Battalion fought off repeated German armored assaults for the next three days before receiving orders to break out in small groups on the third night. Hyde received a Bronze Star for gallantry and a Purple Heart for injuries sustained during the fighting. He spent eight months recuperating from frost bite to the feet at a military hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado at the end of the War. Upon his return to Louisiana he secured his B. A. in education from Southeastern and his M.Ed. at LSU. He served as principal and men’s basketball coach at the Roseland School before being named as principal of Amite Elementary where he served for 42 years. After retirement, he was principal at Oak Forest Academy. He was a member of the Rotary Club, active in other community organizations, a member of the board of directors of the Tangipahoa Parish Teacher’s Credit Union, and a long time board member of the Florida Parish Skeet and Gun Association. Elected to the Amite City Council in 1988, he served as Mayor Pro Tem and four terms as an alderman before retiring in 2004. Preceded in death by his parents, his sister Margaret Hyde Morgan and his brother in law Armette V. Morgan. He is survived by his wife of 58 years Allie Johnston Hyde, two children Dr. Samuel C. Hyde, Jr., Margaret Hyde Quin and her husband Murray R. Quin, along with four grandchildren Katie and Patrick Quin and Clay and Andrew Hyde. The family requests memorial donations be made to First Baptist Church of Amite or Richard Murphy Hospice House in Hammond. Visitation at McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Monday and at First Baptist Church, Amite, from 8 a.m. until funeral services at 10 a.m Tuesday. Services conducted by Rev. Mike Foster. Interment will be at the Mulberry Street Cemetery, Amite.
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