Livingston County Commissioner Frank Sample is being remembered as a “leader whose modesty defined his character.” The sixth-generation Livingston County resident died Wednesday at the age of 50.
Sample, a Republican, represented District 3 on the nine-member Livingston County Board of Commissioners, which includes Iosco, Putnam, and Unadilla townships, plus parts of Hamburg and Handy townships.
Sample served on the county board since 2022, after he eked out a 29-vote primary win over Meghan Reckling, who was chair of the Livingston County Republican Party at the time. He went on to win over Democrat Lori Cowan in the general election. He was re-elected to the seat in 2024, when the terms of county commissioners changed from two to four years. His seat on the county board must be filled within 30 days by the Livingston County Board of Commissioners, and the appointee will serve until the end of the term, which ends in 2028.
The 1994 Pinckney High School graduate began working for his family’s construction company, Assemblers Inc., a structural steel and precast concrete erector. After high school, Sample attended Ferris State University, where he studied automotive technology. Shortly thereafter, he decided to pursue a career in construction, and joined Iron Workers Local 25 in 1997, and oversaw construction projects throughout the U.S. and Canada.
During his construction career, he worked on many high-profile projects, including the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center and the University of Michigan’s hospital expansion in Ann Arbor.
On the current Board of Commissioners, Sample served as chair of the Personnel Committee and vice chair of the Courts, Public Safety and Infrastructure Development Committee. He has also served on the General Government and Health and Human Services Committee, and Finance and Asset Management Committee, as well as the Hiland Lake Improvement Board, MSU Extension Board, and Sanitary Code Board of Appeals.
Earlier this year, Sample was among county commissioners who helped resolve a dispute over the proposed Livingston County Veterans Services millage. Sample and Board Chair Nick Fiani met with Veterans Services Director Ramon Baca and members of the Veterans Services Committee before the county board ultimately approved compromise ballot language. The millage passed.
Sample also played a pivotal role in the expansion of Livingston County’s EMS stations, particularly in the rural areas of the county, including the new Putnam EMS station.
Nick Fiani, chair of the Livingston County Board of Commissioners, described Sample as an “exceptional individual devoted to making Livingston County one of the greatest in Michigan.”
“As a humble and loyal member of the community, he was the personification of public service,” Fiani said in a statement. “Without hesitation, Commissioner Sample was always willing to help in any capacity he could, and his invaluable contributions will be long remembered.”
County Administrator Nathan Burd remembers Sample as “always kind and gracious in his interactions with county staff members.”
“We knew he truly cared for the people who work for Livingston County,” Burd said. “He carefully researched county matters and provided the kind of calm and steady leadership every organization needs. He will be fondly remembered by all who have had the pleasure of working with him.”
There are no details on funeral services available at this time. No obituary has been published yet.
