John Eugene Sampson, 77, of Grimes and formerly of Grinnell died on June 29, 2021, at UnityPoint Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. A celebration of life service has been scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Thursday, July 8th, at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell with Pastor Ken Wallace, retired living in Des Moines, officiating. Music will be played by Linda Bryant and Milton Severe. Honorary bearers will be Ava Ferguson-Sampson, and Madison, Mariah, Sampson, Jalas and McCoy Johannsen. Burial with military honors will follow at Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell. The Sampson family will greet friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. The service will be livestreamed on the Smith Funeral Home Facebook page beginning at 1:45 p.m. John was born January 1, 1944, in Elgin, Illinois, the middle son to Lynn and Mildred Sampson. In 1948, they moved back to Grinnell. John graduated from Grinnell High School in 1962 and briefly attended Northeast Missouri State. He began working at Maytag in 1966. He had two sons from his first marriage and served in the U.S. Army. He was stationed in Germany 1969/1970. When he returned from service, he went back to Maytag. On February 16, 1973, John married Carole Howard. They had a daughter the following year. John retired from Maytag in August of 2000 after nearly 35 years of service. In 2001, he went to work part-time for Miraco Company in Grinnell. He worked three mornings a week, leaving plenty of time to spend with his grandkids, which he loved. John was an avid sprint car/NASCAR and sports fan. He spent many Saturday nights at Knoxville and lots of time watching the Iowa Hawkeyes. He was active in his church, Newburg-Chester, and served as deacon for many years. He was also a member of the men's bible study group. There was not a more dedicated son than John. When his mother went to Mayflower Home, he visited her nearly every day and dearly loved being with his grandchildren. John didn't know a stranger and would visit with almost anyone he saw. He was probably the comedy relief person at Miraco the whole time he worked there. John and Carole moved to Grimes in October of 2014. They attended the Grimes United Methodist Church and enjoyed being closer to family. John was diagnosed with lung cancer in April of this year but before treatment could begin, he suffered a stroke. He had been hospitalized since May 14. John was preceded in death by his son (Jeff), father (Lynn Sr.), mother (Mildred), and his brother (Lynn Jr.). He is survived by his wife, Carole, and children, Greg (Jill) Sampson and Heather (Jeff) Johannsen, six grandchildren, Ava Ferguson-Sampson, Madison, Mariah, Sampson, Jalas, and McCoy Johannsen, and his brother Bob (Sally) Sampson. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Grimes Storehouse or the Good Samaritan Fund at the Grimes United Methodist Church.