RIP Samuel Roosevelt Hopkins, 70, Clayton, died Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016
He was born in Washington, N.C., and raised in Harlem and attended schools in Harlem. Sam married Audrey Reilly (nee Hannah) on Dec. 7, 1991, in Plainfield, N.J. He worked for 20 years in Kingston, Ont., first as head cook at The Queen’s Hotel, then as kitchen manager of the Kingston Brewing Company. He was the assistant cook at the Riverside Cafe, Clayton, for three years, then head cook for three years at The Thousand Islands Golf Club sports bar, Wellesley Island. He then became a license expediter for his sister’s business in New York City for two years. Sam returned to the 1000 Islands to manage the Thousand Islands Golf Club sports bar and the Lake Course Clubhouse restaurant and was kitchen manager of the Harbor Inn and O’Brien’s restaurants in Clayton. For the past 10 years, he was maintenance assistant at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton. His chicken wing “Ghetto Sauce” recipe, which he originated at the Kingston Brewing Company was sold to the House of Blues, New Orleans, La. He began singing in public at the age of five as a member of the Baptist church he attended in Harlem. Singing rhythm and blues with several bands in Canada and in the 1000 Islands performing jazz, blues and American standards at various venues with pianist Jim Burr and other local musicians. Sam regularly organized concerts to benefit local and national causes, including the annual Tunes for Turkey to benefit the Clayton Food Pantry and a 2005 event at the Clayton American Legion to support the Red Cross in its Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
A wonderful page about Sam living the life, stories and great photos by Steve Hall