Samuel 'Sam' 'Film Dog' 'Coltrane' Coltrane, 70

DOVER - Samuel "Sam" "Film Dog" "Coltrane" Coltrane of Dover passed away of natural causes Friday, April 6, 2007, in Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital, Dover. He was 70.

Mr. Coltrane was born June 13, 1936, in Robeson County, N.C.

He and his family moved in 1952 to Portsmouth, Va., where he attended Portsmouth public schools.

He became a plasterer by trade while working at Hampton Roads Plastering as a journeyman. He spent the last 20 years of his life working and residing in Delaware.

Mr. Coltrane was affectionately known as "Film Dog" by his family and friends, while to most people in the community he was known as "Coltrane." He was well-known for his sense of humor and his funny grin, but most of all, for his giving spirit. He would give someone in need "the shirt off his back," and sometimes did. He was notorious for bringing homeless people in out of the cold and sharing his last morsel of food with them. Our community is better because "Coltrane" came our way.

He was preceded in death by his father, Jessie Lee Coltrane; and his stepfather, James W. Coltrane.

He is survived by his mother, Vera Stubbs Coltrane of Portsmouth; three brothers and a sister-in-law, Vander Lee Coltrane of Columbia, Mo., Durand and Clarine Coltrane of Chesapeake, Va., and Anthony G. Coltrane of Portsmouth; two nieces, one of Norfolk, Va., and one of Portsmouth; his longtime employer and friend, Joe Burden of Dover; and a host of other relatives and friends, all of whom will cherish his memory.

Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday in Bennie Smith Funeral Home, Dover.

Services and burial will be in Portsmouth at a later date.