In recognition of Women’s History Month, The Manning Times is highlighting women across Clarendon County whose leadership, service and dedication help shape the community. Throughout March, the series will feature women from a variety of professions and backgrounds who are making a difference through their work, mentorship and commitment to others.
In a profession centered around life’s most difficult moments, Sarah Samuels Logan has learned that compassion and kindness often matter more than anything else.
“I’m a firm believer that manners will get you places where money cannot,” Logan said. “So I believe in treating everyone equally.”
Logan represents the next generation of women carrying forward the work of Samuels Funeral Home, a family business that has served Clarendon County families for nearly a century.
Logan, administrative secretary and future owner of Samuels Funeral Home, works alongside her grandmother and mother assisting families as they navigate grief and loss.
For Logan, the work is about far more than continuing a business.
“It’s more than just legacy,” she said. “It’s a lot of sacrifice, sweat and tears. It’s more of a ministry to help those families that are grieving, to help assist them when they’re at their worst.”
Samuels Funeral Home was founded in 1936 by Logan’s great-grandparents, Hayes F. Samuels Sr. and Lanelle J. Samuels. Today, the funeral home is owned by Logan’s grandmother, Yvonne J. Samuels, who continues to lead the family business.
The funeral home has operated from its current location at 114 N. Church St. since 1999, when Logan’s grandparents — Hayes F. Samuels Jr. and Yvonne Samuels — built the facility from the ground up. Hayes Samuels Jr., who also served as Clarendon County coroner for about 16 years, died in 2018.
Logan’s mother, Yvette Samuels Green, also assists in the funeral home’s daily work.
Together, the three generations form a close-knit team that Logan says approaches every family with empathy and care.
“We treat all of our families like our family,” Logan said. “We feel the pain that they feel. Some cases are rougher than others, but we treat all of our families the same.”
Though Logan grew up around the funeral home — pushing caskets and carrying flowers as a small child — her family never pressured her to follow the same path.
Instead, they encouraged her to pursue her own education and career.
Logan graduated from Manning High School in 2017 and later earned a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from USC Upstate in 2021. She then attended Piedmont Technical College, graduating in 2024 with a degree in mortuary science.
After completing her education, Logan said she began to feel a stronger sense of purpose in returning home to work with her family.
“I sat down one day and I really considered coming back to the funeral home,” she said. “Not because of pressure from my family, but because I knew I had a bigger purpose at hand.”
That purpose, she said, is in helping others through some of the hardest moments of their lives.
“When families come in, it’s about the small details,” Logan said. “Asking about their loved one, what they liked to do, and trying to incorporate that into the service.”
Personal touches, such as slideshows, memories shared by family members or meaningful traditions, can make a service more comforting for those grieving.
“It’s about trying to mend their broken heart,” she said.
Working in funeral service also means confronting loss on a daily basis, particularly in a small community like Clarendon County, where many of the families are familiar faces.
Logan said the staff leans on one another for support.
“From nine to six, almost every day, we lean on each other because we have each other’s backs,” she said. “Who helps the funeral home workers get through what they’re going through? We lean on each other.”
Sometimes, she said, the families themselves provide strength.
“Sometimes funerals actually help us,” Logan said. “When you hear about someone’s life or hear a pastor preach, it reminds you why you’re here.”
Logan believes women bring an important perspective to funeral service, a field that was historically dominated by men.
“A misconception that the world has is that women are too soft or too emotional to run a business,” she said. “But I think women make the business because we’re nurturers.”
As more women enter funeral service and other traditionally male-dominated professions, Logan said she hopes young women see opportunities rather than limitations.
“If we as women push ourselves to any degree, we can make it happen,” she said.
Outside the funeral home, Logan is active in the community. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Phi Omega Omega Chapter, and the Order of the Eastern Star, New Light Chapter 254 in Manning. She and her husband, Jersey Logan, were married in September 2024 and live in Sumter.
She is also developing a program called Healing Hearts, aimed at supporting children who have lost a parent or guardian.
“Losing a parent does something to a child’s life,” Logan said. “Sometimes they just need someone they can talk to or someone who understands what they’re going through.”
Ultimately, Logan hopes her work in funeral service — and in the community — shows young people that meaningful opportunities can grow right at home.
“It’s nothing wrong with where you come from,” she said. “You can always come back to Manning and Clarendon County and make a difference.”
As she looks toward the future of the family business, Logan hopes to continue the work started by her great-grandparents nearly 90 years ago while preparing the next generation to do the same.
“I just want to be able to help others,” she said. “When my time is done, I want to know that I did what I was supposed to do here.”
