DONALD ROY SAMPSON

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DONALD ROY SAMPSON Donald Roy Sampson was born November 26, 1929, on the home farm southwest 13-4-15W in the RM of Strathcona. He was the eldest child of Frank and Mary (Cummings) Sampson. Roy was a very active young boy, who, when he was irritated by his parents, would walk three quarters of a mile to his grandparents' house, pulling a jug with a rope to get some consoling. Roy attended school in the Huntly District where he enjoyed recess the best. He never cared much for horses, but he had a love for heavy equipment and machinery that lasted a lifetime. Roy had a close cousin, John Beckham, who was like a brother to him. They spent many hours tracking deer, rabbits, and building forts, etc., and in later years, still had many long conversations by telephone. He also had a close friend, Jim Smith, who always seemed to have a means of transportation to get to Neelin to play pool. Roy's dad was frequently ill, and Roy gave up schooling for the more pressing work on the farm. Roy farmed for many years and trucked on the winter roads up north to supplement the farm income. He also added bulldozers to his line of work, and cleared many acres of land over the years. In 1963 Roy (egged on by his longtime friend, Leo Stephenson) entered a store to purchase a metal file from a particular sales clerk. The clerk was quite irritated with him for being so picky about this file; however, she changed her mind, and in December 1963, Elva Arlene Mathers married him! They had two children, Leta Faye, born December 16, 1964, and Cherie Lea, born June 6, 1967. They lived and farmed in the Neelin/Huntly District until 1977 when they sold the farm and moved to Killarney. It was here that Roy started a business known as Sampson's Sand Gravel. Roy hauled mostly for municipalities and gravelled as far west as the Saskatchewan border and as far east as Greenway. He gravelled up until December 2002. Roy had a passion for international machinery, Caterpillar bulldozers, Mack trucks, and to him, there was nothing better than the purring of a diesel engine running! He also participated loudly in many discussions at the local coffee shop. He had a tendency to take the opposite side of the discussion and his opinion might vary daily, which kept the conversation lively! He is survived by Arlene, his wife of 40 years; his daughter Leta and (Bert) van Duin and granddaughter Thea of Calgary, AB; his daughter Cherie and (Ken) Orr and granddaughter Kendyle and grandson Jaryn of Clearwater, MB; his sister Flora (Bob) Bell of Portage, MB, and his sister Ella Cooney of Baldur, MB. He was predeceased by his father A. Franklin Sampson (1977); mother Mary (Cummings) Sampson (1994); brothers-in-law, Ron Mathers (1996) and Bill Cooney (2001). Roy passed away peacefully, with his family by his side, December 6, 2004, at Tri-Lake Health Centre, Killarney, MB. Funeral service was held December 9, and he was laid to rest at Hillside Cemetery, Belmont, MB. STRONG HANDS AT REST

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 14, 2004