Sammy Hand

Sammy Hand, 70, of Climax, passed away Sunday, June 7, 2026.

The funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at Bryant Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Steve Brooks officiating. Interment will follow at Brinson Cemetery with Blake Sherry, Keith Medley, Randy Camp, and Joel Singletary serving as active pallbearers.

The family will receive friends immediately following the service. Online visitors may sign the guest register at www.bryantfuneralga.com. Memorial donations may be made to The ALS Association, 1919 University Ave W. Suite 175, St. Paul, MN 55104. www.als.org/donate

Sammy Michael Hand was born October 28, 1955, in Bainbridge, GA, the son of Ressie, Jr. & Anna Rosa Kidd Hand. He always loved a car show or sale, so Sammy capitalized on this as the owner of Sammy’s Truck Sales & Salvage. He was Baptist by faith.

Sammy was a simple man who enjoyed simple things in life, like jean shorts, slide on shoes, a hole-in-the-wall restaurant for oysters, and a hot date at a local drive thru. (It is noteworthy that Sammy “drove thru” on the date that changed his life.) Making a deal was second nature and you better know he was a genius at what was dubbed “Sammy Hand Math”. eBay and Barrett Jackson Auctions kept his attention and had him figuring on the fly.

Friends mean the world to Sammy, and his dry sense of humor kept them in stitches. He was that guy you could call and he came, no questions asked. Sammy loved good food (oysters, fish, cornbread & southern cooking). He hosted many fish fries and once won an oyster eating contest by downing SIXTEEN DOZEN.

Sammy loved BIG but quietly. He shared a lot but without accolades. He wasn’t fancy but he held strong beliefs. If something didn’t “fit”, Sammy would say, “That ain’t me, cuz.” He was just Sammy and that was more than enough.

Survivors include his life partner, Ronda Kirkpatrick; his children, Kamryn & Blake Sherry and Taylor Kirkpatrick; his grandchildren, James & William; and his siblings, Billy Gene Hand, Patricia Brown, and Janet Carter. Sammy was preceded in death by his parents, his stepfather, Lloyd Earl Burke, and his siblings, Donna Burke and Edward Burke.