The early life of L. S. Samuels was a struggle, but she was a happy child. She was born in Port Elizabeth in South Africa. Despite impossible odds, her parents always did their best to help to keep the family together. She lived at a time when apartheid reared its ugly head and she was forced to run the gauntlet of her abusive fellow peers.

Survival was the name of the game but through it all she emerged a stronger, more assured person. She was devoted to her family through all their trials and tribulations and would always go the extra mile to make sure they achieved their potential.

She was always occupied, be it as a teacher and latterly a registered nurse where she had to prove her adaptability. That she came it through it all was a credit to her and her family.