Lt. Colonel John D. Sampels, 89, passed away peacefully surrounded by family at Salem Hospital in Salem, OR on Saturday, January 4, 2020. John was a decorated veteran who served in the Vietnam war and was in the Army for a total of 22 years.
Lt. Colonel Sampels was born November 5, 1930 in Mitchell, OR to his parents Howard and Hazel Sampels. When he was just a young man, he worked at the Bend Dairy until he was 17 when he decided to enlist in the Army Reserves and then went active duty Army and was then while serving stateside, Lt. Colonel Sampels was given the great honor of receiving a field commission and went through Officer Candidate School. Through the years he worked all over the world to include Korea, Germany, France, Vietnam and the United States holding such positions such as General Staff (Counterinsurgency) and Inspector General. Immediately after graduating from High School, he married his first wife, Mary, who preceded him in death.
In total, Lt. Colonel spent 22 years in the Army from 1948 to 1970. After he retired, he settled in Lebanon, OR, where he went into business for himself making jewelry and doing craft shows all around Oregon. It was in Lebanon, OR that he met and married his second wife Florene, who also preceded him in death in February 1992.
As time went on, love caught the Lt. Colonel one last time. He met Kaye and it was almost love at first sight. What started out as coffee at a coffee shop ended up as almost 26 years of marriage. He and Kaye went on to have lots of adventures traveling all over the world and the United States. Never apart in their married life holding hands the entire time, they have lived a very happy Christian life.
Lt. Colonel Sampels is survived by his wife Kaye, son Mike (Wendy) and daughter Lisa (Ed), 8 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren and 3 great great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his father Howard, mother Hazel, brother Dennis (Marlene) and daughter Cheryl (Dave).
There will be a viewing on Wednesday, January 8, 2020 from 1 to 4 p.m. with a funeral service on Friday, January 10, 2020 at 11 a.m. Both the viewing and funeral are being held at Simon Cornwell Colonial Chapel 390 N. 2nd Street in Woodburn, Oregon 97071, 503-981-7771. The Sampels family welcomes any and all stories, photos and memories about John that people would like to share.