Samuel Holway Daniell, of Exeter, NH, passed away peacefully on January 22, 2021 due to complications related to the Covid-19 virus. He was 91. Sam was born in Boston, Massachusetts on September 26, 1929. He graduated from Stearns High School, Phillips Exeter Academy (Class of 1948) Dartmouth College (1952) and received a joint Masters degree from the Tuck School of Business and Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth in 1953. He was active in the NROTC program at Dartmouth and served in the US Navy as an officer for three years following his graduation; among other roles his Navy career included the popular one of payroll officer to the crews of American Navy ships and submarines in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. In 1953, Sam married Zandra Smith, of Hanover, NH, and they began a lifetime together devoted to family and community. They leave five children: Christopher Daniell, of Portsmouth, NH; Mark Daniell, of Graz, Austria; Stephen Daniell of Lenox, MA; Brian Daniell of Lawrenceville, NJ; and Zia Daniell Wigder of Bronx, NY. Sam and Zandra greatly enjoyed their twelve grandchildren, as well. A company man of the old style, Sam and Zandra embraced small town life, raising their family in Springfield, VT and Exeter, NH, as Sam forged his career as an executive with two manufacturing companies, The Bryant Chucking Grinder Company and The Nashua Corporation, from which he retired in 1994. In those communities, Sam and Zandra both enthusiastically took on civic leadership in the local libraries and schools, and Sam’s was a clear and memorable baritone voice as Balthasar in the annual Christmas pageant at the local Congregational Church. Sam’s life focused on two callings: first, with Zandra, the education of their children, and second, his lifelong devotion to sports. Education was at the forefront in Sam and Zandra’s household, with reading, dinner discussion and high standards for the children’s school engagement paramount; Sam took particular pride in each child’s graduation ceremonies along the way, from kindergarten to graduate school. In addition, he was a remarkable endurance--and remarkably enduring--athlete. Beginning at Stearns High School and continuing through a national 4 X 400 relay championship at Dartmouth, Sam furthered a long family tradition of competitive sport. After a hiatus and following minor health issues in his 40’s, Sam resumed running, at first on his lunch hour, and later, like his father, road racing throughout New England with great success into his late 70’s at distances ranging from 5K to full marathons. To keep active in the winter months, he later took up competitive indoor rowing, remarkably at one point holding a world master’s record in his age group. Above all, Sam’s greatest hallmark was his relentless optimism and good cheer. Even as Zandra fell ill in her later years and required near-constant attention, Sam cheerfully took on the role of caretaker and treated her with compassion and dignity until her death. In his final years, Sam moved to a nearby memory care facility; asked once by one of his visiting children where to find him, an aide tellingly replied, “Just follow the singing!” The family wishes to thank Sam’s wonderful in-home caretakers over several years, Meredith Palm, Sue Spinelli and the compassionate staff at Harmony Homes, all of whose kindness and professionalism made Sam’s final years comfortable and active. No funeral services are scheduled at this time. Donations in Sam’s honor can be made to the Exeter Public Library.