A Life Remembered

Samara Bonita Finn was the eldest child born to Melvin and Ora Finn on December 7, 1957.
On Thursday, November 7, 2020, Samara departed this earthly life. Although her family and
loved ones will miss her dearly, they take comfort in knowing there is no more suffering and
that she is peacefully at rest.
She grew up in Amite, Louisiana, and attended West Side Middle School and Amite High
School during her formative years. Samara was a member of the Amite High School
graduating class of 1975. After high school, Samara attended Southeastern Louisiana
University. While at Southeastern, she pledged and became a member of Ashaki E' Furu
Sorority, Incorporated. She continued her studies at Hammond Vo-Tech School and
completed her LPN studies. She worked as an LPN at Lallie Kemp Hospital for many years.
Samara attended Butler AME Zion Church under Rev. Dr. Francis Williams. On June 25,
1983, Samara married Larry Joseph in her home church. In the late 1980s, they moved to
Atlanta, Georgia. In Metro-Atlanta, Samara continued to work in health care as a Psychiatric
Nurse until health issues caused her to retire. She was a member of Antioch A.M.E. under
Rev. Stafford Wicker and then a member of The Greater Travelers Rest Baptist Church
(The House of Hope Atlanta) under Dr. E. Dewey Smith, Jr.
One of her profound loves in life was caring for her flower garden. She would travel far and
wide to find the perfect flower or plant to adorn her yard. She was an avid collector of
butterflies. Her home and garden were replete with decorative butterfly trinkets and artifacts,
each made of every material and in every form possible.
Once she returned to Amite in 2016, she rejoined the church in which she was raised, Butler
A.M.E. Zion Church. Samara continued to care for her beloved flowers until her health
declined.
Samara was preceded in death by her mother, Ora Lee Finn, and her father, Melvin Finn.
She leaves to cherish her memories: one brother, Schirra M. (Sylvia) Finn and one sister,
Tigia Finn; three nephews: Schirra S.M. Finn, Syrus Finn, Devontae Jefferson; four
nieces: Grace Watson-Lamcomb, Kahilla Finn, Talajah Robertson, Schariah Brumfield; a
host of great-nieces and great-nephews, relatives and friends.