Sammy Dantone, Jr.

Sammy “Coach” Dantone, Jr., age 82 of Brandon, went home to be with his Lord and Savior on Thursday, October 27, 2022.

A Celebration of Sammy’s Life will be Monday, October 31, 2022, from Brandon Baptist Church at 11:00 am with Dr. Clarence Cooper and Rev. Farley Earnest officiating. Burial will follow in Crestview Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be Sunday, October 30, 2022, 2:00 pm until 5:00 pm from Ott and Lee Funeral Home in Brandon, MS and again on Monday, October 31, 2022, 9:30 am until 10:45 am from Brandon Baptist Church.

He was born in Greenwood, MS on April 30, 1940, to the late Sam and Nora Dantone, Sr.

Sammy attended Greenwood High School and then went to Mississippi State University where he was a kicker and a fullback for the Bulldog Football team. He graduated from Delta State Master’s in Education.  He married the love of his life Betty Sykes Dantone in 1966. His first coaching job was at Greenwood High School and then respectively, Pillow Academy 1971-1979, Brandon Academy 1979-1983, Jackson Academy 1983-1989, Madison County Schools, and Brandon High School until he retired. He taught drivers education while coaching. Sammy was a charter member of Brandon Baptist Church. He enjoyed travelling, college basketball, and football. Sammy loved his family and friends and touched untold lives through his journey.

He guided thousands of young men and women to do their very best.  And he did so with ingenuity.  He also did so with thoughtfulness and a gentleness that took each person as an individual and tailored his work to fit that person.   Those who had the pleasure of working with this talented man, Sammy Dantone, will not soon forget him!

Sammy is survived by his wife, Betty Sykes Dantone; son, David (Mary) Dantone; daughter, Suzanne (Shane) King; grandchildren, Samuel David Dantone, Rosemary Webb Dantone, Emma Kate King, and Sykes Ellis King; other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters, Angie Dantone and Conchetta Thompson.

The family request in lieu of flowers that memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association https://www.alz.org/?form=alz_donate , The Mississippi State M-Club, or your favorite charity.