Mary Helen Samp

May 10, 1931 - November 8, 2020

Mary Helen Samp, age 89, formerly of Kearney, passed away Sunday, November 8, 2020 in Bellevue. Graveside services will be 11:00 a.m., Monday, November 16, 2020 at the Kearney Cemetery with Pastor Jeff Wulf officiating. There will be no visitation. Anyone who would like to go to the cemetery in the procession can meet between 10:30 to 10:45 a.m. at Faith United Methodist Church in Kearney. In lieu of flowers, memorials are requested to be sent to Faith United Methodist Church in Kearney, NE, or to the animal shelter/rescue of your choice. Horner Lieske McBride and Kuhl Funeral and Cremation Services are in charge of arrangements. Mary Helen (Wright) Samp was born in What Cheer, Iowa, May 10, 1931, to Cecil and Margaret (Baughman) Wright. She passed away peacefully at her residence in Richmont Terrace Assisted Living, Bellevue, Nebraska, on November 8, 2020. The family moved from Iowa to Kansas, then to Norfolk, Nebraska, ultimately settling in Kearney, Nebraska. Mary Helen graduated from Kearney High School in 1949 and later, received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Kearney State College. On June 7, 1953, Mary Helen and Dallas Samp were united in marriage at the Kearney First Presbyterian Church. Mary Helen’s passion was working with children, she taught students in 4th and 6th grades for many years in the Kearney Public Schools at Kenwood, Bryant, and Park Elementary. She truly found her calling in education. She loved her work and she delighted in her students’ progress and successes. Mary Helen was an avid Husker fan, she loved to watch the football and volleyball teams. Being a Nebraskan was part of her character, she studied the State’s history and taught it to 4th graders for many years, taking them on annual field trips to Pioneer Village. She was an active member of Faith United Methodist Church and a 70-year member of Chapter AS PEO. After losing her husband in 2008, she kept herself busy spending long weekends in Bellevue with her two granddaughters whom she adored, occasionally traveling with her daughter, meeting her friends for coffee or lunch, teaching Bible Study, and simply spending time at home reading, doing cross-word puzzles, knitting, or watching TV with her beloved schnauzer, Fritzie. She was handy with a sewing machine and she knitted numerous afghans for the family. She delighted in watching the squirrels and bunnies in her backyard. Her many birdfeeders were never allowed to be empty. In 2014, Mary Helen moved to Bellevue, Nebraska, to be closer to her daughter and granddaughters. Surviving Mary Helen are her daughter, Jayne Samp of Bellevue, NE; granddaughters Melinda Bray of Bellevue, NE and Alexandra (Steven Shupe) Bray of Omaha NE; nieces Anne Welch and Elizabeth Brandt of Lincoln, NE, and Julie (Dan) Banderas of Lee’s Summit, MO; nephews William (Linda) Dahl of Axtell, NE, and Matthew Wright of Omaha, NE; and sister-in-law, Marianne Wright of Norfolk, NE. She was preceded in death by her husband of nearly 55 years, Dallas Samp; children Katherine and Steven Samp, parents Margaret and Cecil Wright, brother George Wright, niece Tara Samp Durham, nephew Andrew Wright; and in-laws, Elmer and Fern Dahl of Axtell, NE; Lloyd and Ioline Samp of Kearney, NE; and Loren and Helen Samp of Casper, WY.