TLC Properties founder Sam E. Coryell dies at 82

Last edited 8:29 a.m., Jan. 29, 2026 [Editor's note: Service information has been added.]

Sam E. Coryell, co-founder of TLC Properties, died the night of Jan. 12, according to a news release by TLC Properties.

He was an entrepreneur and philanthropist in southwest Missouri and spent some three decades as a college music professor and music minister. He was also an author.

Coryell was 82, according to TLC officials.

“There are very few people who have had such a positive impact on the city of Springfield,” said U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison, a Republican representing southwest Missouri, in a social media statement. “Sam Coryell is in that list.”

Burlison added, “His personality and flair will be missed, but his impact will be felt for generations.”

Burlison and many other observers credited Coryell with a deep, guiding Christian faith.

“It is with deep sadness that we mourn the passing of Sam Coryell, a visionary leader and cherished member of our community,” said Springfield Mayor Jeff Schrag in a statement provided to Springfield Business Journal. “As co-founder of TLC Properties, Sam’s commitment to building quality housing and investing in Springfield’s growth helped shape our city’s landscape and provided countless families with homes. He was also a generous supporter of local organizations and a trusted partner in civic life.”

Schrag added, “On behalf of the city of Springfield, I extend heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and all who were touched by his kindness and dedication. Sam’s legacy of service and stewardship will continue to inspire us.”

Coryell co-founded TLC in 1988 with just a single rental property, according to past SBJ reporting.

By 2011, when Coryell was selected as one of SBJ’s Men of the Year, TLC had grown to include numerous apartment communities with thousands of units, earning tens of millions in revenues. Today, the company manages communities across southwest Missouri and in Wichita, Kansas, according to the news release. As of 2023, according to past reporting, TLC employed more than 180 people.

“Sam believed deeply in doing the right thing, taking care of people and building something meaningful that would last,” said Jessi Whitten, TLC Properties chief revenue officer, in the release. “His legacy lives on through the love he had for his family, the values he instilled in our team and the compassion he had for the communities we serve.”

“Sam co-founded TLC Properties with a vision rooted in hard work, long-term relationships and genuine care for people,” TLC Properties officials said in the news release. “His leadership helped shape not only the company’s growth, but its culture – one grounded in integrity, excellence, biblical principles, unbridled service, generosity and stewardship. Sam’s influence will continue to guide TLC Properties for generations to come.”

In a 2011 interview, Coryell told SBJ, “I have considered my overarching task to paint the big picture and provide the vision for the development of TLC through the continued growth of our employees. As I have been able to communicate the vision and develop means to translate that vision into reality, the company has grown.”

In a 2009 interview with SBJ, Coryell’s son, Sam M. Coryell, detailed Sam E. and Carol Coryell’s efforts to start the family firm.

“When my parents started,” the younger Coryell, now president of the company, said, “they only had a handful of units, a 12-plex. Into the late 1990s and into the early 2000s, we were still running very small. We didn't hit 100 units until 1996, and in 2000, made it to the 200-unit mark. It's just been in the last three or four years that it really took off. ... For a time, someone with the last name of Coryell was working in every (property's) office, literally getting the rent checks, making the deposits and all the day-to-day stuff.”

Coryell was credited for thinking about the future of apartment dwelling as he developed TLC Properties’ new apartment communities and for using his sense of musical aesthetics to help shape those properties.

“Appealing architectural styles provide powerful curb appeal, and decorator interior design has resulted in apartments with a greater single-family home feel,” Sam E. Coryell told SBJ in 2011. “I feel that the discipline, organizational skills, perseverance and aesthetic sensitivity gained in my educational pursuits and career have contributed greatly to my success in multifamily development.”

He also focused on amenities for TLC’s apartment complexes, according to past reporting, adding pools, recreation areas, fitness centers and other features to give TLC developments a resort feel.

“Sensing that women were the primary decision-makers in choosing apartments,” Coryell told SBJ in 2011, “I geared the floor plans to them – two baths in two-bedroom apartments, large closets, spacious baths, and appealing and modern kitchens.”

TLC was named the 2009 W. Curtis Strube Small Business of the Year by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, and it was the Springfield Apartment and Housing Association’s 2005 Large Owner of the Year.

Coryell was originally from Paducah, Kentucky, according to his Facebook profile, and studied at the University of Colorado Boulder, Murray State University and the University of North Texas.

TLC and the Coryell family have been key supporters of charitable efforts including the March of Dimes, according to past reporting. Other organizations that Coryell has supported include the Price Cutter Charity Championship, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and the Ozarks Lyric Opera.

A visitation is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Jan. 19 at Greenlawn Funeral Home East, followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m. on Jan. 20 at James River South in Ozark.