Samuel T. Piper, former president of NRCA member J.A. Piper Roofing Co. Inc., Greenville, S.C., passed away Jan. 8. He was 96.
Piper was a 1944 Citadel graduate and proud veteran that served as a member of the U.S. Army during WWII. Piper served as president of J.A. Piper Roofing Co. and retired in 1994; his nephew Roddy Piper currently is president of the company.
Piper served as an NRCA vice president for three years, as well as an NRCA director from 1976-77, 1979-82 and 1983-86. He served as chairman of NRCA’s Manual Update Committee from 1981-82 and Awards Committee from 1983-84. Piper also served on NRCA’s Political Action Committee, Contractors Certification Task Force, Special Presidential Commission, Industrial Liaison Committee and Insurance Committee, among other committees.
Piper is the son of former NRCA President Joseph A. Piper; the J.A. Piper Award was established in 1947 and is named after Joseph A. Piper in appreciation for his service during the Great Depression. In 1983, Samuel T. Piper won the J.A. Piper Award, which honors a roofing professional who has demonstrated outstanding service to NRCA and the industry.
Piper was significantly involved with the Carolinas Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association for more than 50 years, serving as a director and as president of the association. In 1967, he received the prestigious Gordon M. Waters Distinguished Service Award, which annually honors members who have made significant contributions to the association, roofing industry and community. Piper was instrumental in the development of the CRSMCA’s Self-Insurers Fund, a worker’s compensation group, and served as president.
Piper was the husband of the late Rachel Pride Piper. He is survived by his sons, Samuel O. Piper and wife, Betty, of Marietta, Ga., and Donald C. Piper and girlfriend, Cathy O’Shea, of Seneca, S.C.; three stepsons, Harvey Pride and wife, Bibi, of Decatur, Ala., Garner Pride and wife, Lanae, of Hartselle, Ala., and Charles Pride and wife, Cathy, of Englewood, Colo.; five grandchildren, Mark Piper, Noah, Matt, Robbie and Walker Pride; and many other loving family and friends. He was preceded in death by his first wife of 49 years, Mary Ellen Piper; and three brothers, Joseph, Howard and Rodney Piper.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Buncombe Street United Methodist Church, 200 Buncombe St., Greenville, SC 29601; The Salvation Army, 417 Rutherford St., Greenville, SC 29609; or the Citadel Foundation, 171 Moultrie St., Charleston, SC 29409.
