Samuel Earl Downs, 66, of Sedalia passed away peacefully in his home on May 24, 2025, after a hard-fought battle with cancer.
A Celebration of Life service to honor the life of Samuel Earl Downs will be held on June 9, 2024, at 7 PM at McLaughlin Funeral Chapel, with Rev. Jeremiah Greever and Rev. Charles Little officiating. Memorial contributions can be sent to the National Auction Foundation Scholarship Fund. Their mission is “Honoring Our Legacy…Empowering Our Future.” We couldn’t imagine a better way to honor Sam than by doing our part to keep what he loved alive. Another option for donation is the Bothwell Foundation in Sedalia. Sam always talked about the excellent care he received from the staff at Bothwell. We knew he would want to give back to a community that he loved his whole life.
Sam was born on February 22, 1959, in Sedalia, to the proud parents Olen and Betty (Spry) Downs.
He found a love for baseball early in life, spending time on little league teams coached by his dad and yearly family trips spent attending the St. Louis Cardinals’ spring training camp in Florida. He was a member of the First Baptist Church, where he was baptized and spent many Sundays with his mom and dad. He was a 1977 graduate of Smith-Cotton High School, where he played baseball and basketball. Sam attended the University of Missouri and was a member of the FarmHouse fraternity, but found his true passion auctioneering with his dad, Olen. He later graduated from Walter-Britton Auction Academy, in Bryan, Texas. He was the 1984 Oklahoma Auctioneering Champion and Missouri First Runner-Up. He was a member of the National Auctioneers Association and licensed in several states. He was eager to teach the new generation of auctioneers and often taught at Nashville Auction School in Clarksville, Tennessee.
He loved the auction business and traveled extensively throughout the United States-performing numerous lumber yard and restaurant liquidation auctions for businesses; both large and small. He often entertained the crowd with his lighthearted bantering, storytelling and jokes. Some customers came to the auctions not to purchase anything but for the “floor show” in anticipation of a famous “Downs’ fit” or a tasty tri-tip sandwich. He enjoyed traveling to and from auction sites, bringing his family whenever possible-showing them new sites and good food. Throughout his career, he cherished the many memories and relationships made with his clients and customers.
Sam was a man of many passions. Sam enjoyed cooking for his family almost as much as they delighted in eating his food-whether it was for birthdays, holidays or a late lunch, you could count on Sam to make sure you didn’t leave hungry. He loved to watch the horse races and attended many runnings of the Breeder’s Cup and Kentucky Derby. He enjoyed watching his own horses on the track, often running with them down the home stretch. He spent several years in the cattle business; owning livestock markets and running his own herd of Santa Gertrudis cattle with just a “pinch of ear” on them as he would say.
His great love was for his family; never missing an opportunity to talk about his daughters or share photos of his grandkids. He was compassionate, charismatic, fun-loving, and never afraid to speak his mind. Sam will be remembered as someone who embraced life and lived it large; he often remarked that when all was said and done he had had “one hell of a good time.”
Sam is survived by his mother Betty Downs, his daughters Samantha Lott (Patrick) and Sydney Downs (Kamron), his grandchildren Olen and Hazel Lott, aunts and uncles-Judy Ebers (Harv), Earlene Reser, Connie McLaughlin, Steve Spry, many cousins and friends. We find peace in knowing Sam’s deep-rooted faith in Gospel and his love for the Lord. We await the time where God will reunite us again in Heaven as we gather at His table to be a family again.