Daughter remembers Donald Sampson, long-time operator of Mt. Peter

In a post shared on the Mount Peter website and social media channels, Amy Sampson-Cutler, executive manager for Mount Peter, spoke of her late father, Donald “Don” Sampson, who passed away on March 17 at the age of 89.

With a heavy heart and a lifetime of good memories, I would like to share with our extended Mount Peter family that Don Sampson passed away on March 17th.

As many of you know, especially after celebrating our 90th anniversary season, Don and Gail have operated Mount Peter for the past fifty-six years, and it is because of their passion and dedication to the sport of skiing and Mount Peter specifically, that hundreds of thousands of people learned how to ski and snowboard.

Don and Gail are not only the reason Mount Peter still operates today as one of the few remaining family-operated ski areas in the state, but they are also my parents. It’s funny how, after sharing this news with close staff and friends, my view of them has suddenly grown from “mom and dad” to something much larger. Sometimes being too close to someone makes you forget what a big impact they have on others.

My dad was not only my dad, but I shared him as a father figure with hundreds of people. He was everyone’s dad, at one point. When I was a kid, Mount Peter was a “drop and go” spot for the kids of Warwick, Greenwood Lake, and other surrounding areas. My parents took care of these kids as if they were their own, with a mix of kindness and tough love that scared me a bit when I was one of the kids getting into trouble. My parents heard and saw everything that went on, and it is only now as adults that we see what a gift their life lessons really were.

Working for my dad was a whole different story, as he had this unstoppable work ethic and expected the same from each person he employed. His kids weren’t exempt from his eagle eye or dry humor and most of the time you didn’t know if he was mad at you, happy to see you, or maybe a bit of both.

You would be hard pressed to mention Don Sampson’s name anywhere in the town of Warwick and not find someone who either worked for him, or that he taught how to ski. No matter where we go, not only in our area but nationally, someone will spy our Mount Peter clothing and say, “Hey! I learned to ski there.” If we were to put all the fond memories of my dad in a line, they would circle the globe. Maybe twice.

My dad will be missed, yes. But more than that, my dad will be celebrated. My heart can only expand so much and allow me to share this news with you. I would love to spill every memory, every lesson, every word he had shared with me. But for now, it’s enough for me to know how much he was loved, and respected.

If you happen to run into Rebecca or I at the mountain over the weekend, please speak of him with lightness in your heart. He lived a long and full life, and much of that is thanks to all of you. For him to continually see the happy faces of skiers and snowboarders – and tubers, of course – brought him great joy. We are lucky to experience the same, and look forward to the future of Mount Peter.

With love,

Amy

Mount Peter will be hosting a Celebration of Life at 3 p.m. on April 26. Please RSVP to at amy@mtpeter.com.