MCS was informed by his son Stewart that Samuel died on 1 April 2011. He wrote:

It is with great sadness that I have to inform you of my father’s recent death at the age of 95. He left Magdalen School in 1933 and pursued a career in the RAF, travelling widely and finally retiring at the age of 55. He then took up the post of Bursar of Kelvinside Academy, Glasgow, for a further 10 years, eventually retiring to enjoy his hobbies of gardening and hill walking in western Scotland.