Sammy McDowell owned Sammy’s Avenue Eatery, which opened on the north side in 2012.
He collapsed during church service, as first reported by WCCO and later died at the hospital.
In a social media post, Bishop Richard D. Howell Jr., pastor of Shiloh Temple International Ministries, said McDowell “made his transition yesterday during a moment of high praise and worship.”
Howell added that he was proud to have been McDowell’s pastor for 30 years. And he praised McDowell for hiring black men who needed “second chances” to work at his restaurant.
“He was an effervescent person, he was a person that could light your life,” he said. “He was a community man all the way. And so this is a time we can all come together and really celebrate a champion and gentle giant of this community.”
McDowell was originally from Chicago and moved to South Minneapolis when he was five.
After the murder of George Floyd, Sammy’s became a community hub of healing for the black community.
About 300 people would gather at Sammy’s every evening in the summer of 2020. The building never suffered any damage during the unrest. Leslie Redmond, former branch president of the NAACP Minneapolis, organized a watch team to guard the entire block.
Minneapolis Council Member Jeremiah Ellison represents the north side. He met McDowell a decade ago and described the sudden death as a shock for not only himself, but everyone in north Minneapolis.
“You think somebody’s a permanent fixture and it’s a pretty big shock when they’re gone,” Ellison said.
“At a time when people were saying North Siders weren’t employable, he was proving that all wrong. He was a real example to everyone in the neighborhood about what was possible.”
According to Howell, there was a 2 p.m. gathering at Sammy’s Avenue Eatery to mourn Sammy. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Sen. Bobby Champion (DFL-Minneapolis) were in attendance.
There will be a picnic Tuesday, April 23 at 6 p.m., at Shiloh Temple in Minneapolis to honor McDowell.
Howell said a memorial is in the works for early May, with a visitation on May 3 and a celebration of life on May 4. No final times have been announced.
