Dorothy May Sampson

Dorothy was born on January 21, 1936 to Alma and Mary Bell in Rago, Colorado. Rago is a farming community in southern Washington County.

Life was hard on the farm and these early days convinced her she was not into farming. One of the worst things she saw was her father being dragged by a team of horses when she was only 10 years old. She and her 9 year old brother Obie ran down the road to a neighbor’s farm, the neighbor got their father into his car and took him to the nearest hospital. Their father spent the next year in the hospital before passing away. The family moved to Otis in 1946.

Dorothy managed to get a job at 13 washing dishes at a café in the Otis hotel, at 15 she was moved to a waitress position. After a couple of years she was walking by the telephone office on her way home when the manager stopped her and offered her a job as a telephone operator. She worked for the telephone company for 31 years.

In 1956 after graduating high school the company offered her a service representative position in the Akron, Colorado office. She moved in the family to Akron in November 1956. This moved the family from poverty to middle class and affording them “luxuries” like indoor toilets!

Dorothy married Leonard Nitzel in the 60’s, together they shared a love for travel. In the mid 70’s they decided to build a home. The house was under construction in 1977 when Leonard passed away. Dorothy took on the task of finishing the home with the help of friends. Her younger brother Obie and Ken even installed a sprinkler system for her.

Dorothy worked in Akron until 1982. In 1982 the phone company was being broken up had the Akron office was being closed. She had to move to the office in Fort Morgan. She drove commuted between Akron and Fort Morgan for a year before retiring in 1983.

In 1984 Dorothy married Helmer Sampson, they were married in Hawaii. They lived in Akron and spent the winters in Yuma, Arizona. They decided to sell Dorothy’s house in Akron and live in Helmer’s house in Longmont, Colorado. In 1994 they sold Helmer’s house and bought a brand new house. Helmer passed away in 2000.

Dorothy remained in their home until her family moved her into a nursing home in December 2022 due to her advancing dementia. Dorothy passed away on July 12, 2023. She leaves behind her youngest brother, a sister in law, 2 nephews, niece and numerous cousins.

Dorothy was a wonderful person and her family will miss her deeply.

Services will be held at Messiah Lutheran Church in Longmont on July 26, 2023 at 11am. 1335 Francis St, Longmont, CO 80501.