Samuel Gipson Oliver III, a native son of La Plata, Maryland, was born to Samuel Gipson Oliver Jr. and Barbara Marie Bowles on January 9, 1956, in the middle of a snowstorm.
Sam was a standout high school athlete, lettering in football, basketball, baseball, and track before graduating from La Plata High School in 1974.
Sam’s football skills helped him get into college, where he graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science degree in special education. He was a pioneer in the field, teaching students at Lackey and Calvert high schools. His teaching career spanned 36 years, and he was known as a gifted educator who served his students with compassion, grit, and love, helping them work through their disabilities to achieve their goals.
During his career as an educator, Sam parlayed his gifts as both teacher and athlete into coaching high school basketball, football, and baseball. He guided his student-athletes to success on and off the field, helping them become upstanding members of the community. In 2005, Sam became the athletic director of Calvert High School, where he oversaw 22 sports and mentored the coaching staff. During this time, he received many honors, including the Southern Maryland Lifetime Achievement Award and Athletic Director of the Year.
Sam retired from Calvert County Public Schools in 2014 and brought his gifts of administration and service to his church communities. Under the mentorship of Fr. Saverio Vitturino, Sam took on many roles at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Benedict, Maryland, serving as a sacristan, de facto theologian, extraordinary minister, altar server trainer and coordinator, and adult faith formation instructor. He later brought these same gifts to St. Mary’s Bryantown, joining his wife, Kaye, in service there. Together, they found special joy serving at St. Mary’s under Fr. Rory Conley.
In honor of Sam’s service to his churches, he received the Order of Merit from the Archdiocese of Washington as well as being a fourth-degree Knight of Columbus. Partnering with Kaye and guided by Fr. Conley, Sam and Kaye found a special calling in the Life in the Spirit seminars, where Sam used his talents of leadership and teaching to organize, facilitate, and recruit volunteers to travel throughout parishes in Southern Maryland and beyond, introducing others to the life in the Holy Spirit.
Sam was an avid fisherman, and after retirement, fishing became a passion. He traveled to remote places, including Iliamna Lake in Alaska for salmon fishing and remote areas of the Amazon in pursuit of peacock bass. Along the way, he met tribal leaders and spent days hiking overland from one part of the river to the next.
Sam passed away in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on July 23, 2026, surrounded by his loving family. He was preceded in death by his parents, June Oliver and Bobbie Neilson; his step-father, Bill Neilson; his sister, Robin Oliver; and his step-brother, John Neilson.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 35 years, Dr. Kaye D. Oliver; his sister, Hope Benson; his step-siblings, Bill Neilson, Debbie McGuigan, Mary Martines, Roberta Kolb, and Judy Neilson; nieces, Cara Davenport and Elise Bitting; nephews, David Benson, Michael Benson, and Jakob Davenport.
Visitation will take place at Brinsfield Funeral Home on Friday, August 7, 2026, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, August 8, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Bryantown, Maryland. Interment will immediately follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to: Samuel Oliver Education Scholarship Fund c/o Dr. Kaye Oliver, 10680 Wisteria Lane, King George, VA. 22485