Our Heavenly Father broke the mold when he created, Dr. Emery “Sam” Castimore. Nicknamed “Sam” by his father to restrict all from referring to him as “Junior”, he was born too early at just over 3 pounds at Newton Hospital to Emery and Lillian (Tanis) Castimore in the summer of 1950. Sam spent his childhood in Augusta, N.J., running through the dairy barns and fields of Ideal Farms and picnicking in the Glen of Sparta alongside his beautiful sisters, Candace and Mary Ann and many first cousins. Pillars of society in their small town, Emery dutifully raised Sam at the dairy farm instilling an inherent work ethic that was second to none while his adoring mother, Lillian, raised Sam to consistently do the right thing and the importance of family.
Sam attended Frankford Township School, High Point and Blair Academy. Blair Academy was the cornerstone of his early education and laid the groundwork for a broader outlook on life. When it came to his own children’s education, there was only one option for them. The final chapter of his education took place at the University of Pennsylvania where he earned his veterinary degree. Sam then moved back to Augusta to begin his career and his own family. In the seventies, he married Judy Severinsen and later became a deeply devoted father to Matthew Evan and Robin Sue. Sam raised Matt and Robin on the farm, Matt drawn to machinery resulting in a keen ability to problem solve and Robin emulated her father’s love of all animals and his ability to talk to anyone, anywhere. They only ever questioned their father’s love while standing in the middle of a hay field every...hot...summer of their childhood (with their best friends in tow).
Sam built a successful standardbred nursery on Route 565 and at its height managed hundreds of horses and artificially insemenated countless standardbred mares from around the tri-state area and beyond. His standardbred claim to fame was caring for and collecting, No Nukes. No Nukes went on to win 10 of 19 lifetime starts earning his owners millions.
After a hard road in the horse world, loved ones urged Sam to shift gears and open a small veterinary practice on Rt. 206 in the very home he grew up in. His client list and reputation grew rapidly due to his innate animal sense, loving nature and around the clock care. Dr. Sam would laugh and cry with all his pet families offering a unique level of compassionate care, now a rarity in today’s world.
Sam was blessed with two more children Nathaniel James and Emery Jacob with his wife, Joan Flanagan. Together they proudly raised brilliant, strong, civil engineers with hearts of gold. Nate, a farmer and Emery, a gear head, like their father. They only ever questioned their father’s love while standing in the middle of a hay field every...hot...summer of their childhood (with their best friends in tow).
Sam was happiest in Napa (Hendry Wines was the favorite), and Bermuda (The Reefs) or at The Little Brown Jug in Ohio, trackside at Maple Grove, Englishtown or Island Dragway, in Manhattan or napping on any beach. Locally he adored Andre’s Lakeside, the Plaza Barber Shop, Peddie Day tailgates at Blair, and fish and chip fundraisers at local churches.
You could always find Sam within 10 miles of Ross’s Corner with an array of surgery and machine-grease stains on his eBay Façonnable shirts, designer ties, and pleated khaki pants, carrying a gas station coffee with no lid and 1-4 dogs in tow. Sam would end most days, checking in on his family, then ready to discuss world events, sipping a fine Californian wine, while listening to the same song on repeat at full volume, and eating from a heaping plate of a home-cooked meal (because he skipped breakfast and ate 1/2 his lunch).
Sam never stopped saving the lives of small animals and he never stopped cherishing his clients, his drag race buddies, his friends, his exes, his Weill Cornell care team, his clinic staff, his town council and community, his parents, sisters, nephews, nieces, cousins, stepchildren, grandchildren, wife and children most of all.
Sam is an unforgettable “nobody from nowhere” - as he liked to describe himself. This isn’t a typical obituary but everyone understands Sam was not a typical man. Sam’s superpower was to stretch others - whether it their patience, their hearts, or their minds.
Predeceased by his parents, Emery and Lillian Castimore and sister Mary Ann Castimore.
Sam leaves behind his beautiful wife, Joan Flanagan, his children Matthew Evan (LeighAnne), Robin Sue, Nathaniel James, Emery Jacob, his grandchildren Henry, Lolly and Evan and his sister Candace Moose (James).
A Memorial Service will be held Nov. 15, 2025, at 10:30am at First Presbyterian Church of Newton, 54 High St, Newton, NJ 07860.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to:
Weill Cornell Medicine - Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Research under Dr. Furman: https://engage.weill.cornell.edu/give?fund=9b9ece0f-f73e-4f50-876b-0990c190f06d
Online condolences may be offered to the family at: smithmccrackenfuneralhome.com
