He was born on April 21, 1926 in LeMars, Iowa, to LuVois Mesdine Sampson and Violet Martha (Gable) Sampson. He was the eldest of eight children, all of whom preceded him in death. Dwight attended a one-room schoolhouse up to 8th grade. After graduating high school, he enlisted in the Navy Air Corps in 1944, being called to active duty on November 13. After being discharged from the Navy in 1946, he served in the Naval Reserve until 1952. In 2011, as a veteran, he was selected for an Honor Flight to the WWII Memorial.
He met Virginia (Jini) Mae Griffin in 1943 and married her in 1946. Dwight and Jini had five children — three born in Iowa, one in Nebraska, and one in North Kansas City. While living in Nebraska, Dwight started a Jr. Chamber of Commerce and served as its president, a role he would reprise later while living in Webster City, Iowa. Dwight began his decades-long service with the Boy Scouts of America in Nebraska. He trained in 1950 and served in various scouting roles in Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri. In 1969, he earned Warrior in the Tribe of Mic-o-Say in Kansas City, Missouri, and the title of Sagamore in 2001. He was also awarded the prestigious Silver Beaver Award. He was one of the oldest living Boy Scouts in Missouri and served the organization for more than 60 years, participating in 110 Eagle Scout Award presentations.
Dwight worked for many farming companies in his career, including the Montgomery Ward farm store, Rite Way Dairy Equipment and Consumers Cooperative Association, later known as Farmland Industries, before retiring at the age of 62. Retirement opened many new opportunities for him, including traveling to places such as Russia with BSA and China with the Heifer Foundation, as well as Israel and much of the U.S. with his wife Jini. He was known for sharing fabulous photographs of his many special journeys.
Dwight was an active member of St. Luke Presbyterian Church, where he served on various committees and was a Ruling Elder on Session. He was on the board of the Northland Shepherd’s Center, serving as president in 2010. In the same year, he became a member of Kansas City’s Silver Haired City Council, later serving as chairman. Dwight was an active member of the Greenhaven Neighborhood Association and volunteered and served on the board for the Clay County Clothes Closet.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Jini, his siblings and his parents. He is survived by his daughters Gail Brown, of Clinton, Missouri, Kay Dickey, of Portland, Oregon, and Jill Falkenberg, of Mesa, Arizona, and sons Keith (Ginny) Sampson, of Jefferson City, Missouri, and Neil (Natalie Saluk) Sampson, of San Diego. He has 14 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022, at GlenHaven Church with a celebration of life to follow at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Meals on Wheels, Northland Shepherd’s Center, or KC Hospice.
