WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. —  Samuel Humes, beloved husband of Lynne DeLay, dad of Hans and Hamilton, and Daddy Daddy for Willem, Henk, Samuel Kees, Etta, Elias, Mina, and Amielyn, passed away surrounded by family on Saturday, April 11. The family will schedule a celebration of life for the family and community. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in memory of Samuel Humes IV to HospiceCare in The Berkshires in recognition of the care and compassion provided during his final days.

Sam seemed to have nine lives, like his cats Squeak and Duchess, surviving an ostensible death sentence from spinal meningitis at age seven, when the doctors had to burn all his belongings due to the fear of any contamination from a disease that had a 90%+ fatality rate in the 1930s. His mother’s and his indomitable will to live, trust in devoted local doctors, and willingness to consider new ways to make it through, came back in the last decade, when he willed through strokes, open heart valve replacement surgery, misplaced dental tools, falls, and more. Through it all he remained the same Sam. Sharp as a tack until the end.

His determination, resilience and love of looking for new ways continued throughout his life. Despite recovering from meningitis, he became the youngest Eagle Scout in the country. At the Hill School his idea of writing and selling football game programs was such a hit, the Hill School took the business over when he graduated. At Williams College (class of 1952) he followed his dad, granddad and great grandad, and seized the opportunity to study under professors he loved, such as writing a thesis under Jim Burns. After studying government at the University of Pennsylvania Fells School, he decided that getting a doctorate in Europe at Leiden University would give a much deeper understanding of politics, law, and governance.

Once again when he went into government work, he took a different tack. Sam decided that local government was where he could contribute most to better people’s lives. He founded the Council of Governments in the Washington metropolitan area that coordinates all the local government actions in that metropolis. He worked as County Manager of Baltimore County until he asked one too many questions about Spiro Agnew’s financial arrangements. The Nigerian government had Sam write their White Paper plan to re-structure local governments after the Biafran War and then worked in a think tank in Tangiers Morocco and taught at Queens University in Kingston Ontario. The time to lead three graduate programs. Founding Florida’s Nova University’s government doctoral program, running New Jersey’s Rider College graduate policy program and the directing Boston University’s Brussels business program.

His writing also took an unusual tack, exploring tensions between local autonomy vs. centralized authority and tradition vs. modernization, themes he developed in books including Managing the Multinational: Confronting the Global-Local Dilemma, The Structure of Local Government Throughout the World, Belgium and Local Governance and National Power, and 41 Micro-countries (enough about those superpowers…)

Sam also loved to smile, to share stories and to create great memories. One of his favorite surprises was when he and Lynne Delay got married on May 14, 1976, when they left the church on a boat, one of many surprises they shared in their years together.

After living in Brussels, he took up the legacy of his Grandmother Krum who came from Williamstown and moved back to live again in the Berkshires in the community he loved. As part of his civic life, he served as Rotary Club of Williamstown President and in many roles at the Congregational Church. And relentlessly selling Williams College to his family (Hamilton ’85, Hans ’87, Willem ’16 and Kees ’20).

Through all of this, Sam loved to share his joy of learning with his wife Lynne DeLay, his boys, grandchildren, and students. He will be remembered as a scholar who sought to understand how institutions function in practice, a teacher who bridged cultures, and a man who carried family legacy forward. His work endures in governance, and his influence lives through students, colleagues, and family members who learned from his intellect and principled approach to life.

FUNERAL NOTICE:  A Graveside Service will be held on Friday April 17, 2026 at 10:00 AM in Eastlawn Cemetery in Williamstown, MA. To add to the Book of Memories, please visit www.flynndagnolifuneralhomes.com