It is with great sadness that we, the family, announce the passing of Mary “Mamie” Agnes Sampson (MacNeil) on May 4, 2026, at her home in Sampsonville, N.S.
Born in Janvrin Island, N.S., on February 12, 1940, Mamie was the daughter of the late Alphonse Vincent and Elizabeth June (LeBlanc) MacNeil. Mamie grew up on her family’s farm, which she spoke of often. At the age of 19, she traveled to the village of St. Peter’s, N.S., to take a job at the MacDonald’s Hotel. This marked the beginning of her professional career as a certified line cook, a certification she later obtained in Halifax, N.S.
For almost 60 years, she worked in various food establishments, but she was locally famous for the seafood chowder she made every year for the Wallace MacAskill Sailboat Race, and especially for her homemade bread, rolls, and baking. Her most cherished job was working side by side with her oldest grandchild, Dillon, at his café and bakery, where she finally retired.
If Mamie was not cooking or baking for family and friends, she could be found with the coffee club at the Farmers’ Pantry, singing at the music circle, or going for drives to the canal — all with her husband, Henry, by her side. She was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend.
Mamie was always there for those she loved and would do anything to help. She kept you on your toes, was a straight shooter, and said it like it was. She loved her family deeply and would have given them the world. Anyone who had the privilege of knowing her is fortunate to hold those cherished memories close.
Mamie is survived by her loving husband of 62 years, Henry Daniel Sampson; her children, Hank (Angela Welsh) and Sandra (Lawrence Carter); and the people who had the privilege to call her “Mama.” Her grandchildren: Dillon (Cory Burke), Channing (Tyson McEwan), Ryon (Ellen Sturman), and Alec; and her great-grandchildren: Oakley, Payton, Everly, Henry, and Amelia.
Her sisters, Florence (the late Lewis Farrell) and Annie May (Raymond Savoie); her sister-in-law, Margaret MacNeil; and her brothers- and sisters-in-law, Alfred (Nelda Williams), Brian (Sharron DeWolf), Geraldine (the late Dean Malcolm), and Maria (Malcolm MacLellan), also mourn her passing.
Besides her parents and her in-laws, D.Y. Sampson (Veronica Carter), she was predeceased by her sisters: Clara (Charles Waterfield), Katie (Francis Boudreau), Anita (Harold Tate), Doris (George Dorey), Margaret (Nicholas Fougere), Mary Bate, Loretta Patterson, Gertrude Paquette, and Martha Jane; and by her brothers: Roddie (Mary Hill) Vincent, Patrick, and Murdock (Marie).
There will be no visitation, as per Mamie’s request. A Funeral Mass will take place on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. at St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in St. Peter’s, N.S., with luncheon to follow at Lakeside Community Hall, 8598 West Bay Road, St. Peter’s, NS.
Donations in Mamie’s memory may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada or to Palliative Care.
The family would like to extend heartfelt thanks to Dr. Jonah Samson, Dr. Lisa Gillis, and her nurse, Leslie LaRue, for their care and compassion.
