Robert Dale Sampson

Robert Dale Sampson, 95, of Duluth, died August 30, 2022, at North Shore Health Care Center in Grand Marais Mn.  He was born June 29, 1927, to C. Herbert and Agnes (Grant) Sampson and grew up in West Duluth.  Bob married Nancy Van Duyn in 1951 and they had one son Michael Robert and in 1978 married Jeanne Hudson and helped raise her daughter Carolyn.

Bob was a jock and played all sports including playing goalie for the Raleigh Street Maple Leaf’s who won the midget title with him in goal, allegedly with no mask and Sears Roebuck catalogues for shin pads.  He went on to play on the 1943 Denfeld football team which was unscored upon the entire year.  In 1944 he led the Denfeld basketball team to the Big Six Conference title and in his final game, came off his sick bed in sweatpants and was inserted into the game by Coach Frank Puglisi for 90 seconds to sink two buckets to win the Little Big Ten scoring title.

He was then offered a basketball scholarship at the University of Minnesota and played one season before enlisting in the Navy in 1945.  He served on 4 ships, the U.S.S LST461, the U.S.S Rapidan A018, the U.S.S Randolph CV15, and the U.S.S. Kearsarge CV33 traveling 80,000 miles of saltwater and was honorably discharged in 1948 with rank Storekeeper 2^nd Class.

After discharge he attended Duluth Junior College where he played both football and basketball and was part of the 1948 Junior Rose Bowl team that traveled to Pasadena to play Compton College and Hugh McElhenny.  There in front of 50,000 fans he caught a touchdown pass late in the 4^th quarter only to look up to see the referee waving it off for too many men on the field.

Bob went on to work at the US Steel Plant in Morgan Park until its closing, and from there to the DM&IR, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department, and the Duluth Clinic until he retired in 1998.  He then volunteered at St. Mary's Hospital once a week until 2019, working as a Wayfinder which he loved because, in his words, "I like to tell people where to go".

He was a member of St. John’s Catholic Church, the West Duluth American Legion, The DM&IR Veterans Employee Association and the Red Kaps golf group at Lester Park.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wives' Nancy Sampson and Jeanne Sampson, brothers Russell and Leonard Sampson and Bucko Ellingson, and sister Arlene Brander. 

He is survived by his son Mike (Cathy Nevers), grandchildren Benjamin and Ekta and their mother Patricia Long, stepdaughter Carolyn Kranz (Brian)and grandchildren Dalton and Aaron, and his good friend Rockne Johnson.

A very special thank you to the nurses and nurses’ aides at North Shore Health Care Center in Grand Marais who saw past his opinions and cared for him so thoughtfully and lovingly.

Visitation will be held in Dougherty Funeral Home Thursday September 15 at 10AM until the 11AM Memorial Service.  Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Folds of Honor, Department #13, Tulsa, OK 74182.  Arrangements by Dougherty Funeral Home.  600 E. 2^nd St. Duluth, MN 55805.  218-727-3555.