Remembrances from Pete Ross, Dan Long, Steve Lozano, ‘gitta Lozano, Mac Dick, and Carolyn Sampselle
Compiled by Jennifer Wolf
John and Carolyn Sampselle first came to St. Clare’s in 1982 after a brief period of church shopping. Carolyn’s pursuit of a doctoral degree at UM brought the family to Ann Arbor, and John quickly found a job in finance at Domino’s.
John’s professional experience served St. Clare’s well, with his deep understanding of general accounting and church accounting specifically. Early into his tenure at St. Clare’s, an unfortunate circumstance occurred. The treasurer at that time was accused – and convicted of – embezzling funds. In the aftermath of that event, many congregants were left asking, “how on earth did that happen?” Improved accounting procedures were set up and John ensured they were rigorously applied – in fact, they are still in place today. With his dedication to impeccable accuracy and full transparency, John helped restore trust in our accounting procedures.
John was also the treasurer for the Endowment Committee for many years. ‘gitte recalls that John was a “financial wizard and determined that the accounting be true and to the purpose – such a good steward and helped the board in determining the original intent of the endowments. He wasn’t just a treasurer, he was a treasure.” John was dedicated to this service until the end of his life, even continuing to serve from his hospital bed.
But John wasn’t just a numbers guy. He was a bridge-builder and a loyal friend to many. John and Carolyn opened their home and hearts to all, extending a kind word and graciously contributing their time and talents reliably to St. Clare’s. They were always welcoming, and even a business meeting or an accounting audit felt warm and supportive. Together, they were supporters of the Haiti Outreach Mission, as well as the local Kiwanis chapter.
John served on the Genesis Board, where he combined his accounting skills with his ability to build partnerships. He and Judge Sandy Eldon, a member of TBE, became firm friends, co-chairing the Genesis Building Grounds Committee for several years after their Genesis terms expired. John and Sandy realized that Genesis needed a way to plan for repairs and equipment replacements to better manage cash flow and prepare for both the expected and the unexpected. With that in mind, they created the “BSRP” that is still in use today. The BSRP is the Building Systems Replacement Plan, and it has been such a gift, allowing Genesis to plan realistically for the future.
John treasured his friendships deeply. One example is the Barfly Five, high school friends who stayed in touch regularly for 75 years. He was also a member in good standing of the informal St. Clarian’s Tuesday morning breakfast club. During the pandemic, Mac Dick shifted the group to Zoom and John always showed up in a ball cap representing the team he was rooting for in that moment. As Dan Long recalled, “John had an impressive knowledge of all things baseball – the stats, the team rosters, all of it. He was a true fan of the sport!” John cheered on local teams with the same enthusiasm as those in the professional leagues. He was also a huge football fan, and lived to see the Detroit Lions rise up to victory and – on his last weekend – was surrounded by family as they all thrilled together to the Michigan Wolverines’ hard-won victory over Ohio State. It was a wonderful weekend which John thoroughly enjoyed.
In closing, the reflections by those who helped compile this profile were consistent in recalling John as “extremely competent, calm, cool, courageous and collected – a wonderful friend deeply missed.” A legacy we are all blessed to be a part of at St. Clare’s.