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IN LOVING MEMORY OF Sam Luke Campise
Sam Luke
Campise
Mar 27, 1931 — May 23, 2018
Sam Luke Campise's Obituary
Samuel Luke Campise, a proud Italian-American, died May 23 at the age of eighty-seven in Bryan, Texas. In 1931 Sam was born in Hearn, Texas to his father Sam Campise and mother Bessie Maglitto Campise whose families immigrated from Poggioreale and Lentini Sicily.
Preceding Sam in death was his wife of thirty-seven years, Emma Louise Eldridge Campise from Somerville, Texas and son Jerry Campise of Seattle, Washington.
Sam is survived by his: three brothers Paul, Vince, and David; four children Cathy, Rick (spouse Tib), Darryl (Gretchen) and Tina (David); ten grandchildren Matthew Bright (Michelle), Kevin Jones (Cherish), Keith Jones, Matthew Russell (Angie), Stacey Blomstrom, Brittany Goode (Preston), Sammy Campise, David Collett, Sean Collett, and Trey Collett; and nine great-grandchildren Mackenzie Blomstrom, Gus Blomstrom, Beck Russell, Amelia Russell, Cole Russell, Zander Jones, Kayson Jones, Zackary Martin, and Parker Collette.
It is with irony Sam reported talking his parents into signing him into the Army at age seventeen so that he could escape the drudgery of the farm. Ironic in that much of his adult life was spent immensely enjoying the pleasure of planting and harvesting vegetables from his own expansive gardens. After returning from active duty service in the Army, Sam entered the Texas National Guard, and then married Emma Louise with whom he raised five children.
In his early twenties Sam learned to weld and fit with such proficiency that he soon was supervising and ultimately in charge of several large welding and fabrication shops in the Houston area. Sam was widely known as a demanding yet supportive boss who expected hard work and excellence from all his employees, including his sons who spent several years under his tutelage. Sam never expected an employee to complete a task he himself wasn't willing to perform and was usually the first to arrive and the last to leave. Eighty-hour weeks were the norm for Sam and he worked these long hours until his retirement in his seventies.
Though work consumed a great deal of his time, every summer Sam devoted two weeks to take his family camping at Welch Park and Yegua Creek Park in Lake Somerville, Texas. Sam loved taking a gaggle of kids out to seine bait and to run trot lines.
In addition to fishing and watching the Oilers and then the Texans, Sam loved to gamble. You could always tell when Sam and his extended family were at the dice table from the yelling and whooping noise reverberating around the Coushatta Casino every time a member of the family won ten dollars. On Sam's eightieth birthday a tent top was rented and one of the festivities was a Texas Hold'em tournament that Sam to his excitement won on his birthday.
Sam possessed a gentle spirit. Never one to spank his children, he was dismayed when his wife demanded he spank their oldest son Rick. Sam took his son into the bathroom, shut the door, and spanked the bathtub.
The love of Sam for his grandchildren marked his life. He was known as a soft touch if they wanted something and he found saying no to them almost impossible.
In retirement Sam loved to sit on the back porch of his son Darryl and daughter-in-law Gretchen's farm in Waller, Texas. He found great contentment in watching the cows graze as he petted his beloved lap dog that drove everyone else crazy with its yapping to get into Pa Pa's lap.
Friends are invited to visit with the family from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 25, at Klein Funeral Home - Tomball, 1400 W. Main, Tomball, TX 77375. A funeral service will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 26, in the funeral home chapel with interment to follow in Klein Memorial Park, State Highway 249, Pinehurst.
Sam is survived by his: three brothers Paul, Vince, and David; four children Cathy, Rick (spouse Tib), Darryl (Gretchen) and Tina (David); ten grandchildren Matthew Bright (Michelle), Kevin Jones (Cherish), Keith Jones, Matthew Russell (Angie), Stacey Blomstrom, Brittany Goode (Preston), Sammy Campise, David Collett, Sean Collett, and Trey Collett; and nine great-grandchildren Mackenzie Blomstrom, Gus Blomstrom, Beck Russell, Amelia Russell, Cole Russell, Zander Jones, Kayson Jones, Zackary Martin, and Parker Collette.
It is with irony Sam reported talking his parents into signing him into the Army at age seventeen so that he could escape the drudgery of the farm. Ironic in that much of his adult life was spent immensely enjoying the pleasure of planting and harvesting vegetables from his own expansive gardens. After returning from active duty service in the Army, Sam entered the Texas National Guard, and then married Emma Louise with whom he raised five children.
In his early twenties Sam learned to weld and fit with such proficiency that he soon was supervising and ultimately in charge of several large welding and fabrication shops in the Houston area. Sam was widely known as a demanding yet supportive boss who expected hard work and excellence from all his employees, including his sons who spent several years under his tutelage. Sam never expected an employee to complete a task he himself wasn't willing to perform and was usually the first to arrive and the last to leave. Eighty-hour weeks were the norm for Sam and he worked these long hours until his retirement in his seventies.
Though work consumed a great deal of his time, every summer Sam devoted two weeks to take his family camping at Welch Park and Yegua Creek Park in Lake Somerville, Texas. Sam loved taking a gaggle of kids out to seine bait and to run trot lines.
In addition to fishing and watching the Oilers and then the Texans, Sam loved to gamble. You could always tell when Sam and his extended family were at the dice table from the yelling and whooping noise reverberating around the Coushatta Casino every time a member of the family won ten dollars. On Sam's eightieth birthday a tent top was rented and one of the festivities was a Texas Hold'em tournament that Sam to his excitement won on his birthday.
Sam possessed a gentle spirit. Never one to spank his children, he was dismayed when his wife demanded he spank their oldest son Rick. Sam took his son into the bathroom, shut the door, and spanked the bathtub.
The love of Sam for his grandchildren marked his life. He was known as a soft touch if they wanted something and he found saying no to them almost impossible.
In retirement Sam loved to sit on the back porch of his son Darryl and daughter-in-law Gretchen's farm in Waller, Texas. He found great contentment in watching the cows graze as he petted his beloved lap dog that drove everyone else crazy with its yapping to get into Pa Pa's lap.
Friends are invited to visit with the family from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 25, at Klein Funeral Home - Tomball, 1400 W. Main, Tomball, TX 77375. A funeral service will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 26, in the funeral home chapel with interment to follow in Klein Memorial Park, State Highway 249, Pinehurst.
Funeral Services for Sam Luke Campise
Visitation
May
25
Friday
Klein Funeral Home-Tomball
7:00 - 9:00 pm
Funeral Service
May
26
Saturday
Klein Funeral Home-Tomball
Starts at 10:00 am
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