John L. "Jack" Sampson, Ph.D.
Aged 83, of Lexington, died peacefully on February 11th. Mr. Sampson slipped into death at home, surrounded by his loving family.  He leaves behind his beloved wife, Georgette (McMurray), three children, and four grandchildren.  He was the loving father of Tom Sampson of Bernardston, Gail Leichtman (and her husband Stephen) of Lexington, and Elizabeth Forrest (and her partner) of Portland, ME. His grandchildren are Nathan Leichtman, of Denver, CO, Devon and Julianna Leichtman of Lexington, and Thea Forrest of Portland, ME.  Mr. Sampson will also be missed by numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
Mr. Sampson was a kind and gentle man who delighted in the natural world.  His happiest times were spent in the summer house he built in Windham, NH, where he was most often found sitting in the sun on the dock, watching the clouds move across the sky. Mr. Sampson spent much of his free time climbing mountains with his family, building things out of wood, patting his cats, and puttering around his garden in Lexington.
He grew up in Saugus, MA, and was educated there and at Wyoming Seminary in PA. He served in the US Navy as the Communications and Operations officer on the USS Maloy from 1951 to 1953, and was married to Georgette during this time.  He entered the Naval Reserve in 1953 and served as Commanding Officer of  Research Reserve Company 1-1. He retired from the Naval Reserve in 1978.
Mr. Sampson received his BS in Physics from MIT in 1951, his MS from Tufts in 1957, and his Ph.D. in Physics from Tufts in 1962. He worked as a Research Physicist for the US Air Force in Bedford for 37 years and at other scientific research companies.
Mr. Sampson had a great love of music, and sang everything from folk songs with his family to cantatas with the Masterworks Chorale, where he was a member for 25 years. He sang bass in the choir at First Parish Church for most of his life, and could always be located by listening for the sound of his whistling.
Visiting hours are on Friday, Feb. 22nd from 7-9pm at Douglass Funeral Home, 51 Worthen Road, Lexington. Funeral at First Parish Church, 7 Harrington Road, Lexington at 10:30 am on Sat., Feb 23rd. Donations may be sent to the "Jack Sampson Memorial Music Fund" at First Parish Church, or to the American Cancer Society.