Edward R. (Buddy) Samuels died June 19, 2016 in St. Louis after a brief illness.

On August 23, 1923, Mr. Samuels was born in St. Louis to Theodore R. Samuels and Ruth Glaser Samuels. He attended and graduated from Community School in 1935 and from John Burroughs School in 1941. Buddy attended Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire and earned an AB degree as a member of the class of 1945 and an MBA from The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth in 1946.  During college, he served in the Marine Corps from 1942 to 1946 and served in the Pacific theater, where he was wounded during combat at Iwo Jima and was awarded a Purple Heart. After the Marine Corps, he returned to St. Louis and joined Samuels Shoe Company, which was started by his father, grandfather and uncle. Buddy was the fourth generation member of his family to be in the shoe business. In 1965, Samuels Shoe Company was acquired by Brown Shoe Company.  Buddy served as the President of the Samuels Shoe division of Brown Group until he retired in 1984. After the acquisition, Mr. Samuels served on the board of Brown Group. He also served on the board of the (then) Jewish Hospital. Mr. Samuels also served on the first board of the Nursery Foundation of St. Louis. After his retirement, Mr. Samuels headed the special gifts program of the St. Louis chapter of the United Negro College Fund for a number of years. Mr. Samuels is survived by Katherine Rittenberg Samuels, his loving wife of 62 years, four children:  Ted (Lori) Samuels of Pasadena, California, Sallie Samuels of Atlanta, Georgia, Kris Samuels (Jim) Holmes of St. Louis, and Peggy Samuels of Union City, New Jersey, and eight grandchildren.  Mr. Samuels is also survived by his sister, Ruth Samuels Villalovos and his stepsister, Edna Lee Rosenheim.

Services in honor of Buddy will be held Wednesday, June 22, 11:30 AM at New Mt. Sinai Cemetery Mausoleum, 8430 Gravois Road.  The family will hold a reception in celebration of Buddy’s life at Westwood Country Club on Wednesday afternoon from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Buddy’s honor to John Burroughs School (755 South Price Road, St. Louis, Missouri 63124) or to Barnes Jewish Hospice Foundation (BJC Hospice Foundation, PO Box 957421, St. Louis, Missouri 63195-7421).

A RINDSKOPF-ROTH SERVICE