A former Surfside Beach mayor recently died. Here are plans for his memorial service

A former Surfside Beach mayor has recently died, town officials said Friday.

Doug Samples passed away at his home on Thursday. He was 68. No cause of death was given.

Samples was elected as mayor in 2012 and served for four years. He had been on council since 2002 and served for three terms before leading the town as mayor, according to a Facebook page belonging to the town of Surfside.

South Carolina House of Representatives recognized Samples with a resolution in 2016 for his focus on “improving and maintaining the quality of life… by directing efforts to improve public infrastructure to retain the town’s ‘family beach’ atmosphere and image,’” according to the Facebook post.

Before becoming an elected official in Surfside Beach, Samples also volunteered with the town’s stormwater committee for two years.

He lived in the town since 1991 but was originally from Glendale, California.

A memorial service will be Monday at 11 a.m. at Surfside United Methodist Church, according to his obituary.

This story was originally published October 18, 2021 at 11:01 AM.