Sammy Charles Pagna
BRANSON MO NEWS:
Sammy Charles Pagna, 93, of Branson, Missouri, passed Monday, January 29, 2018, in his home, surrounded by love. For many older Tulsa residents, Sammy’s music and the many musicians that he employed over the span of 45+ years continue to keep his memory alive.Born in Akron, Ohio, on January 14, 1925, of parents Rose and Tony Pagna, Sammy learned to play the accordion as a child, and that led to a love and life of arranging and performing music, and serving as a big-band leader and agent to other musicians in Tulsa. Sam was the oldest of now deceased brothers, Joe Pagna, and former Notre Dame coach, Tom Pagna, and his sister, Terry Scaduto of Medina, Ohio. When father Tony passed, Sammy left his studies at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music to tour. His travels took him through Tulsa, where he started his first chapter by settling down with wife, Virginia, and his oldest daughter, Toni Domingos Ewing (husband Bob), now of Branson, Missouri. From this family came grandson, William Ewing, and granddaughter, Catherine Bratcher (husband, Malen, and great-grandchildren, Adrian and Stella).After their divorce, Sammy met Patricia McCormick of Noel, Missouri. She became his wife and partner of 32 years. Before she died of cancer in 1995, Pat and Sam became an institution for Big Band music, where people could enjoy ballroom dancing at Cains Ballroom and Homebuilder’s Association for over 20 years. They raised two daughters: Keri Riggs of Richardson, Texas (grandchildren, Benjamin and Elizabeth Riggs), and Kristi Conlon (husband, Scott, and grandchildren, Spencer and Stephanie Conlon, of Phoenix, Arizona). They settled on a creek-lined acreage in Jenks because of the schools and privacy. As the girls got older, Sammy and Pat enjoyed traveling together, and the family took his mother to see relatives in Sicily. This month-long European vacation instilled a lifelong love of travel …
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