Cornelia Maria Samson Obituary (1923 - 2022)

Cornelia Maria Samson, 99, passed away peacefully in her sleep on November 22, 2022. She will be reunited with her beloved husband, Jan Samson, who passed away in 1988, and with two of their children, son: Jan C. Samson and daughter Mary Samson-Jank. She is also preceded in death by her parents, and all six of her siblings: Anthony vanVeen, Martin vanVeen, Francis vanVeen, Mary Keenan, John vanVeen and Jane DiSabatino. Cornelia was born on March 15, 1923 in Monster, Holland. She was the daughter of Johannes (John) and Cornelia vanVeen. The family moved to America in June of 1923, settling in New Castle, Delaware. She grew up during The Depression. It left a lasting impact on her life. She never squandered anything or wasted food. She would repurpose and recycle everything. She was truly ahead of her time in that regard. As a young girl, she learned hand sewing and needle work. She found that she enjoyed it very much and her creativity was given an outlet. As a young woman she worked at the Amstel House - a museum in New Castle - helping to care for the property and the caretaker. Part of the job required spending the night there - which she enjoyed until she saw a ghost. She did not like that and promptly left. Her father was a bricklayer and he loved meeting with other Dutchmen who arrived at the nearby docks. It was not uncommon for him to bring a few home for dinner. As you might guess, he brought Jan Samson there one day and before too long, Jan and Cornelia were dating. Jan was able to obtain his U.S. citizenship, and not long after he was drafted to serve in the Army; that did not stop their dating and letter writing. As fate would have it, their love letters continued and Jan proposed to Cornelia in a letter and during his next furlough, they were married. That was December, 1942. He was the love of her life, and she was his. Cornelia moved to South Carolina where Jan was stationed. About 2 years later, they had their first child. Then 2 years later, another child. After the war, they moved to Houston, Texas to settle down and raise their family. Jan was from a family of 11 children, and Cornelia was from a family of 7. They compromised, and decided to have 9 of their own. Cornelia's life was very full. Raising a family of nine, with no family nearby, was a challenge. She not only persevered, but was an awesome mother to her children and many of their friends too! Family was extremely important and she worked hard (successfully) to provide a loving home. Among many of her talents, she was an accomplished seamstress. Sewing clothes for her big family and finding time to sew for others to help support the family income. There was literally NOTHING she could not repair or create. People would bring her some of the craziest projects and she would find a way to get it done. Her biggest and most ambitious project was hooking a full size rug (10 feet x 12 feet) from wool on burlap that she designed herself. She bought the wool fabric at garage sales or thrift stores and cut it into small strips using a pasta cutter - nothing was "pre-cut" or wasted. There wasn't YouTube or Google to give easy directions. She designed it from start to finish. It took her over 10 years to complete, but when it was done, it was an amazing, useful and beautiful rug. It is still being used - on the living room floor in one of her son's homes. She also loved quilting and nearly always had one in progress. She quilted alone and with friends. She helped raise money by donating quilts to the church bazaar. She was also known for her "green thumb." She could grow anything in anything (creative pots) and was delighted to donate many plants to the church bazaar. She was gifted, creative, talented and practical. She thought outside the box and found ways to recycle and repurpose pretty much everything! She would involve the children/grandchildren in many of the projects, from creating Christmas ornaments, filling shoe boxes with goodies for the Seaman Center, gathering/donating clothes for women shelters, to volunteering at various charitable organizations. Often she got others to help/volunteer without them even knowing they were being enlisted. Her passion was helping others. Later in life, Cornelia aka "Oma" got into playing bingo. She loved winning prizes - which she usually regifted to someone in need. She played with various groups, organizations and especially her many great grandchildren. She even made her own prizes to share. A favorite past time was shopping at thrift stores and finding treasures for herself and loved ones. Combining that with her love of serving, she volunteered at St. Theresa Little Flower Thrift Shop - a charity through the Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston area - that benefits the homeless and others in need. She thought it was a perfect match. Additionally, for many years, you could find her every Sunday serving coffee and donuts at the VA hospital. Always busy with her hands, she made crafts all year long, including her famous "hand towels." Near Christmas time, she would take her collection of homemade goods to various Christmas Craft sales. She enjoyed the challenge of making things, with or without a pattern, and just spending time with people. She is survived by 5 sons: Bernard (Bob) Samson (his family of 3 children and 8 grandchildren), Houston, TX, Rene' Samson (his family of 1 child), Corpus Christi, TX, Eugene Samson (his family of 3 children, 5 grandchildren), Pasadena, TX, Joseph (Joe) Samson (his family of 4 children, and 1 grandchild), Barneveld, NY, and Charles Samson (his family of 3 children and 1 grandchild), Clear Lake, TX and 2 daughters: Kelli Slack (her family of 2 children and 2 grandchildren), Santa Fe, NM and Christine Samson-Hocevar (her family of 4 and 2 grandchildren + another due in December), Plano, TX. Also from deceased son Jan, his family of 2 children and one grandchild and deceased daughter Mary, her family of 1 child. A total of 23 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren. In addition to her sons and daughters-in-law, she has many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Altogether, a HUGE family who will miss her greatly. Included in this family, are all the wonderful caregivers and nurses that loved on her and tenderly cared for her the last year and half that she was at Light Heart Memory Care Home in Webster, Texas. Their love and dedication to all their residents, but especially to Cornelia, is truly a gift. She was selfless with her time and energy as evident by all the people whose life she touched. Cremation has been accorded for Cornelia. A small service will be held on March 10th, 2023 at the Houston National Cemetery (Veterans Memorial) where she will be buried with her beloved husband. On Saturday, March 11th, 2023, at 10:00 am, a mass will be held at St. Christopher's Catholic Church and a Celebration of Life to follow to honor and celebrate her 100th birthday. In lieu of flowers and to honor her passion for helping others, please consider a donation to any of the following charities: St. Christopher's Catholic Church Catholic Daughters of America Breast Cancer Foundation (Susan G. Komen) Alzheimer's Association