Rebecca Lynn Burch-Stickel, known to everyone who loved her as “Sammye,” passed away on April 6, 2025, in Sunbury, North Carolina, at the age of 55.

Sammye was born on August 5, 1969, in Yuma, Arizona, to Paul and Selma Burch, who preceded her in death. Growing up in Yuma, she found freedom on four-wheelers and ATVs, discovering a peace and joy riding through the dunes that stayed with her for the rest of her life. She was a strawberry blonde with a warm smile that people remembered long after meeting her.

Sammye carried a deep, lifelong love for animals of every kind. Dogs, cats, guinea pigs, farm animals — if a creature needed rescuing, Sammye was there. Her home was always open to the overlooked and the unwanted, and she gave them the same warmth she gave everyone in her life.

She is survived by her husband, Daniel Stickel, and her son, Paul Jacob (Mostarin) Stickel. She also leaves behind her siblings Shirley (Kevin) Burch, Susan (Guy) Castro, Sally (John) Burch, Richard (Richard) Burch, and Nancy (Joe) Bledsoe, along with many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends who were fortunate to know her.

Sammye was cremated through Miller Funeral Home in Gatesville, North Carolina.

She will be remembered for her warmth, her kind spirit, and her endless compassion for every animal — and every person — lucky enough to cross her path.