Samuel Lee Merrill -- Tax Attorney

 

Samuel Lee Merrill

Samuel Lee Merrill was born on December 31, 1980 in Richardson, Texas, the only child of Roy Lee Merrill, Jr. and Donna Jane Winn Womack Merrill.  His father had an earlier marriage to Jo Lynn Hopkins who had provided Sam with three stepsiblings, a stepsister, Catherine Paige Merrill, born in 1966 and two stepbrothers, David Russell Merrill, born in 1972 and Jeremy Paul Merrill, born in 1974. He also had two stepbrothers on his mother’s side, Jason and Paul Womack.  Sam’s father, Roy was a native Texan, born in Harris County, Texas in 1940 and was a graduate of the University of Texas Law School. Roy was a descendant of James Clark “Muck” Thomas, a native of Trigg County, Kentucky who had moved to Searcy County, Arkansas in the 1800s.

Sam grew up in Richardson, Texas, a suburb of Dallas and graduated from J. J. Pearce High School in Richardson in the top 10 per cent of his class.  He went on to attend Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas where he was a Brown Scholar, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a minor in Math.  He then went on to attend the University of Texas School of Law where he was on Law Review.  Law Review is a prestigious honor of students who published articles written by law professors, judges and other legal professionals.  Sam graduated from law school with his Doctor of Jurisprudence/Juris Doctor (J.D.) in May 2006 and received the Chancellors Award.

While in high school and college, Sam excelled in the game of tennis.   He maintained a top 25 ranking both in high school and college.  In college he was a multiple time All Conference tennis player and the number one singles player in the state.

Sam was a talented piano player and he used this skill while courting his wife to-be, Emily, in the early days of their relationship in Southwestern University where they met. Sam married Emily Roxanne Caster on July 5, 2008 in Puerto Morelos, Mexico. Emily was born on July 7, 1983 in Tarrant County, Texas, the daughter of Richard William Caster and Jaymie Bell Caster.

Sam and Emily settled in Dallas, Texas where he joined the law firm of Thompson and Knight. The law firm had offices in the U.S. Mexico, Europe and North Africa with specialties in energy work, corporate governance, tax and finance.  Sam worked in their tax department and became a partner in the firm in 2015.

Sam and Emily became the parents of twin sons, Henry Merrill and Lee Merrill, who were born in 2013. Sam enjoyed entertaining his two sons by playing the piano for them in their home.

Samuel Lee Merrill died on January 10, 2016 in Dallas, Texas at the young age of 35.

Sam and Emily Merrill

Sam with his twin sons, Henry and Lee

Sam entertains his son at the piano

LINEAGE: (Samuel Lee Merrill was the son of Roy Lee, Jr. and Donna Winn Womack Merrill and the grandson of Roy Lee, Sr. and Pauline Smyth Merrill.  Pauline was the first child of Grover Houston and Blanche Waller Smyth.  Grover was the first child of Charles Walter and Alpha Adeline Thomas Smyth.  Alpha was the fifth child of James Clark “Muck” and Elizabeth Lawrence Thomas.  James Clark was the fourth child of James, Jr. and Margaret Ethridge Thomas.  James, Jr. was the sixth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)