Samson St. Gabriel Stevenson

Samson St. Gabriel Stevenson, passed away Thursday, October 22 in the arms of his partner and fur mom, Holli Dickerson. He was 13 and a half years old.

Samson was a rescue at 9 months old and came to live and train with Holli in cadaver recovery. During his career, he helped to bring closure to many families who had lost loved ones through tragic circumstances. However, at his core, Samson was a carer. When called upon to train as a Service Dog, he learned tasks and skills to help Holli mitigate a disability that no one could see. He cared for an abused rescue dog, coaxing her and encouraging her until she became one of the pack, and then became the pack leader. He cared for random strangers at weddings that he attended while Holli worked, smiling and wagging his tail, easing the stress of the day. And he cared for the poorest in spirit in churches across the midwest and the south by serving as a partner when Holli ministered to people. Samson spent many days in the food pantry at Vineyard Church of Augusta, greeting people, surprising some, and always offering a tail wag and a head boop. Before his illness, Samson helped to train his replacement and is survived by Deacon and Holli and her husband, Bill.