Tributes pour in for late Rev Colin Sampson

FORMER dean of the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, Port of Spain, the Rev Colin Sampson, died on Thursday after a short illness, reportedly at the age of 67.

A message on the Anglican Church website said, "We have been advised that the Rev Canon Colin Sampson died today. Funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.

"Please keep the family of Canon Sampson in your prayers. May he rest in peace."

On Monday the diocese said Sampson had been hospitalised and asked well-wishers to keep him in their prayers.

An entry on Wikipedia said Richard Ian Colin Sampson (born 1955) was educated at Codrington College, Barbados and ordained in 1980.

He began his career as a curate at the cathedral, of which he ultimately became dean. He held incumbencies in Point Fortin, Chaguanas and South Caicos, served as chaplain to the Mission to Seafarers in Trinidad, and was rector of St Patrick's Church, Tobago, before he became dean at Holy Trinity.

The current dean of the cathedral, the Rev Shelly-Ann Tenia, told Newsday his passing meant the loss of a colleague who would be dearly missed. She said he had a heart condition.

"He was an exceptional priest and a brilliant preacher. The church has lost a soldier. May he rest in peace and rise in glory."

Sampson's passing prompted an outpouring of tributes from friends and well-wishers on Facebook. Friends remembered Sampson's days as a member of the choir at St Mary's College, Port of Spain, and someone whose conversation brought a smile to the faces of his friends.