Obituary of Shirley Marie Sampson

Shirley Marie Sampson passed away in Sydney, Nova Scotia on January 17th, 2025 surrounded by her loving family after a courageous battle with cancer. She was born on February 1, 1939, in Rocky Bay, NS. Shirley was a beloved wife to Nap Sampson, with whom she shared 65 wonderful years of marriage. Shirley was a dedicated teacher for many years in L’Ardoise, Mira Road, D’Escousse, and Arichat, impacting countless students with her passion for education. She found immense joy in her family, cherishing the time spent with her children—Faye Samson (Darrell), Karen Pettitt (Clay), Melvin Sampson (Wanda), Tammy Sturge (George), and Tracey Locke (Andy)—along with her 12 grandchildren: Daniel, Chantal, Rachel, Devin, Janelle, Brandon, Bryson, Joel, Amber, Trey, Jayde, and Teya, as well as her 16 great-grandchildren: Skye, Nixon, Peyton, Maelle, Hadley, Lucas, Emma, Oaklynn, Archer, Lochlan, Loic, Addison, Alex, Maddyn, Lydia, and Stella. She took pride in their successes, viewing her children and grandchildren’s achievements as her greatest accomplishment. Shirley was also survived by numerous neices, and nephews. A devout Catholic, Shirley attended mass regularly and lived her life guided by her faith. Her warm spirit and loving nature made everyone who knew her feel cherished. She was known for her sweet tooth, love of knitting, and passion for cooking for her family. Shirley enjoyed playing cards and bingo. The games will never be the same without her. She could often be found cheering on her grandchildren and great-grandchildren at their various sporting events. Shirley is survived by her sister, Donna Martell, and was predeceased by her parents, James Bowen and Cornella (Kay) Kehoe, as well as her siblings, Marion MacLean and Walter Bowen and her son-in-law Clayton Pettitt. She will be remembered for her unwavering love, her favorite saying, "That's the scoop," and the joy she brought to everyone around her. Shirley's legacy of love and family will continue to resonate with those she touched throughout her life. Dad loved and supported our mom throughout her courageous battle with cancer. He was always there to hold her hand and comfort her and remind her how much she was loved. We would like to send a special thank you to all the nurses and staff at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital and especially the Doctor Abdoud for the wonderful care and compassion they showed towards our mom and all of our family through this difficult time. Many of the people who reached out to us during this past week were quick to convey how mom always had a smile on her face and was a sweet and gentle soul and this is definitely the way we, her family, remember her. Mom would want everyone to celebrate her life with a game of cards and by enjoying food and each other's company. In memory of mom, donations can be made to the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation for Palliative Care or the Canadian Cancer Society. Visitation will be held at C. H. Boudreau Funeral Home Ltd in Arichat on Thursday, January 23rd from 2-4 & 7-9 pm. Funeral Mass to Celebrate the Life of Shirley will be held Friday morning January 24th at 11 am in Our Lady of Assumption Church in Arichat with Father Duaine Devereaux officiating. Burial to be held in St. Hyacinth Cemetery in D'Escousse at a later date. A reception will be held at the Rocky Bay Irish Club in Rocky Bay following the service. To send words of comfort and memories to the family, please visit www.chboudreau.com