Sam C. Herrin, Jr., 80, of Antioch, Arkansas, went to be with the Lord Jesus Christ on August 18, 2012.

Surviving are his beloved wife of fifty-eight years, Patricia Hocott Herrin; two sons and their wives, Steven and Sheran Herrin, and Joey and Kristi Herrin; one daughter, Paula Herrin, all of Antioch; six grandchildren, Greg Stanley of Sherwood, Ed and Stephanie Herrin of Lubbock, Texas, Tina and Don Richter of Spokane, Washington, Joshua Herrin of Little Rock, Karli and BJ Miller of McRae, and Emily and Doug Babel of Beebe; ten great-grandchildren, Abigail Stanley, Brittany Herrin, Sam, Max, Darby and Nathaniel Richter, Logan and Joey Lynn Babel, and Parker and Ava Ruth Miller; as well as a host of other family and friends.

He was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, October 11, 1931, and grew up in Little Rock. A 1948 graduate of Little Rock High School, he attended UALR, Syracuse University and obtained his bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland.

His father, Sam C. Herrin, mother, Rosalie Philpot Herrin, and stepmother, Ina Garvey Herrin, preceded him in death.

Sam retired from the United States Air Force as a Major in 1971 after completing over twenty years of enlisted and commissioned service, much of which was on overseas intelligence assignments in Europe and the Far East, along with duty at the National Security Agency and the Pentagon.

He served in Vietnam in 1968-69. His military awards include the Bronze Star Medal, the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with "V" for valor, and others.

After retiring from the Air Force, he was Assistant Airport Manager for Administration at Little Rock National Airport (now Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport) from 1972 -1977.

An avid aviation enthusiast, he held a commercial pilot's license until a heart attack grounded him.

In 1975, he was called into the Gospel Ministry and was ordained as a Southern Baptist Minister in 1976. He served as pastor of Liberty Baptist Church at Walker's Corner in White County, and of Patterson Baptist Church, in Woodruff County until 1987.

In 1988, he and his wife, Pat, formed Project Cross, a Christian missionary organization directed at taking the Gospel to what was then the Soviet Union.
Since 1988, he and Pat traveled to the former Soviet Union more than twenty-five times, sometimes alone, and other times leading short-term mission teams of up to ten people. Originally traveling as tourists and carrying small quantities of Russian Bibles in their luggage, they met clandestinely with underground Christians and also with the few registered churches.

After the Bible was removed from the prohibited list by the Soviet Government, they mailed thousands of Russian language New Testaments, Bibles and other Christian literature, some translated from English by Project Cross, across the Soviet Union.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, their work has been concentrated in the Russian Republic of Udmurtia, in the city of Glazov about 600 miles northeast of Moscow and in the town of Cherny Yar in the Astrakhan Oblast' of southern Russia.

Working through and with Russian pastors and missionaries, Project Cross has a part in fruitful evangelistic and discipleship ministry resulting in the planting of new churches, establishment of children's ministries, and sending of Russian missionaries to surrounding areas.

The mission has helped in the construction and/or acquisition of buildings to be used as Houses of Prayer in several locations and a wonderful Christian children's camp near Glazov.

Along with his wife, he was an active member of Living Way Foursquare Church in Little Rock.

Visitation will be 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday at Westbrook Funeral Home, Beebe.

Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, August 22, 2012, at Beebe First Baptist Church, with burial at Arkansas State Veterans' Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Project Cross, 19 Pennwood Dr., Sherwood, AR 72120.