SAMPSELLE, James Vernon, Jr. died April 2, 1999

NEWPORT NEWS -

  James Vernon Sampselle Jr., 83, died Friday, April 2, 1999 at his home.  A native of Washington, D.C., he had been a Peninsula resident for 42 years.  He retired as chief engineer with the Military Sealift Command in 1977.  Mr. Sampselle graduated from McKinley High School, Washington, D.C.  As a youth, he was a Life Boy Scout and a Sea Scout.  Because of his experiences as a Sea Scout, he chose to go to sea and went from cadet deck boy to a chief engineer.  He spent most of his time at sea with the U.S. Lines, Moore and McCormick and Grace Lines.  During World War II, he was port engineer at Calcutta and Bombay, India, and Singapore.  Later he served with Military Sealift Command.  He helped to organize the Warwick Yacht and Country Club and served as commodore in 1962.  He served as a docent at The Mariners’ Museum for 13 years.  After retirement, he realized his life-long dream of building his own boat, a 65-foot staysail schooner, which he and his wife and daughter, Lynn, sailed to the Bahamas, Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Chesapeake Bay and on the Potomac River.  He was a member of the Hidenwood Presbyterian Church, Mariners’ Museum and Fort Monroe Officers Club.

 Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Anna Bob Sampselle; three daughters, Alice Hix of Atlanta, Ga., Mary Trude of Carrollton and Lynn Parlett of Hayes; and five grandchildren, Marsha and Todd Brown, Anna Hix, Robyn and Jay Parlett.

  A memorial service will be conducted 1:30 p.m. Monday, April 5 at Hidenwood Presbyterian Church by Rev. J. Harold McKeithen.

  Memorial donations may be made to Hidenwood Presbyterian Church or The Mariners’ Museum.

Published in the Daily Press 4/04/1999.

James Sampselle was the husband of Anna Bob Rich who was the daughter of Anna Maria Gleaves Rich and the granddaughter of Charles Wythe Gleaves.