Sam & Sandra Prillaman

 

Memorial services for both Sam and Sandra Prillaman will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at Auburn United Methodist Church 3940 Five Points Road, Riner with Rev. Knox Wimberly officiating. Interment will follow in the Wilson Cemetery.

Sandra Miles Prillaman, 88, passed away on August 7, 2025, in Houston, Texas, following a brief but courageous battle with cancer. Born on March 27, 1937, in Rogers, Virginia, Sandra was the daughter of C. Whitlow Miles and Sarah (“Sally”) Thompson Miles Rowe. Sandra pursued her passion for education with remarkable dedication. At 20, she earned her B.A. in Education with honors from Radford College (VPI Women’s Division), followed by an M.Ed. from the College of William and Mary, and ultimately an Ed.D. from the University of Maryland. Sandra began her career in Virginia, teaching in Dublin, Check, and Charlottesville for five years before moving to Salisbury, Maryland. There she spent the next 36 years, first as a teacher and then as a supervisor of instruction.

Since Sandra’s retirement in 1998, she and Sam were able to spend time in Salisbury and their hometown of Riner, Virginia, enjoying both locations as well as their travel back and forth. She enjoyed reading, watching birds and other wildlife, riding her ATV with Sam on the family farm, and, more recently, learning to use her new smartphone.

Sam Lucas Prillaman, 88, passed away on March 16, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas, while traveling from Houston, Texas, where he had recently moved following the death of his wife, Sandra, on August 7, 2025. Born on June 18, 1937, in Christiansburg, Virginia, Sam was the son of the late Samuel Phillip Prillaman and Annamille Lucas Prillaman.

Sam was a dedicated teacher and administrator, spending his entire career in education. At 22, he earned a B.S. degree in Education from Radford College, and, at 25, he earned an M.Ed. from the University of Virginia. Sam began teaching at 21, starting in Check, Virginia, for three years before attending UVA and then moving to Salisbury, Maryland, in 1962. There he spent the next thirty years serving in the Wicomico County school system, first as a teacher and then in various administrative positions, including Principal of Mardela High School.

Since Sam’s retirement in 1992, he and Sandra were able to spend time in Salisbury and their hometown of Riner, Virginia, enjoying both locations as well as their travel back and forth. At various times, Sam enjoyed fishing, boating, piloting, motorcycle riding, making welded craft items, and riding ATVs with Sandra on the family farm.

Sandra and Sam are survived by son & daughter-in-law, Miles & Julia Prillaman; grandchildren, Samuel Prillaman and Anna Prillaman; Sandra’s sister, Teri Miles; Sam’s brother & sister-in-law, Bruce (Shirley) Prillaman; nephews, Mark (Joyce) Steele and Kevin (Theresa) Steele; and nieces, Natalie (David) Holland and Susan (Kevin) Stevenson.

Sandra was preceded in death by her parents, C. Whitlow Miles and Sally Miles Rowe; as well as stepmother, Allie Hodges Miles; sister & brother-in-law, Carmen Miles & Jack Steele. Sam was preceded by his parents, Samuel Phillip Prillaman and Annamille Lucas Prillaman.