Abigail Sampey spent her life making others feel special.
She had the reputation of someone who never met a stranger. And, to be fair, there probably weren’t many strangers to Sampey in St. Charles Parish by her later years – her daughter Angelle said trips to the store with her mother could become quite the time investment, as Sampey knew so many people and would take the time to talk.
And also to uplift.
“If you needed to be lifted just a few minutes, my mom would have done it for you,” Angelle said. “One of my best friends told me, ‘I’m going to need you to tell me and Lance how awesome we are, because that’s all your Mama ever did.’ She saidmy mom was their ego booster.”
“She never met a stranger. She absolutely loved St. Charles Parish – she was so proud of her parish and she was involved in so much.”
It’s why so many people are mourning her loss. Sampey died tragically last week, just days before her 80th birthday.
On Nov. 3, Sampey had just left her Luling home for an afternoon walk when she was struck by a vehicle. According to the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, she was walking along the right edge of the road when she was hit by a black Jeep Wrangler. Sampey was airlifted by helicopter for medical care, but did not survive.
The driver of the jeep, Sandra Kinler, was arrested and charged with one count of negligent homicide. According to the Sheriff’s Office, video footage showed she failed to take any action to avoid striking Sampey from behind, “despite having adequate time to do so and an unobstructed view ahead with no other traffic on the street.” Toxicology samples were collected from Kinler and have been submitted for analysis; the results are still pending, and the investigation is still ongoing, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Sampey was born Nov. 6, 1946 in Gheens before going on to spend her adult life in Luling where she and her husband David raised their family. They had two children, Rickie and Angelle, and four grandchildren.
She attended Lockport High School in Lafourche Parish, where she wore the crown of Homecoming Queen and the title of Miss Congeniality.
But she was just as popular at school as an adult. Sampey worked for many years in the St. Charles Parish Public School system, working as a secretary at Hahnville High School before going on to work at the district’s central office, then finally at R.J. Vial Elementary School where she ran the computer lab.
“She worked with so many kids … between them and their parents; it was like she knew everyone in the parish,” Angelle said. “From Lafourche Parish to all of St. Charles Parish, there wasn’t a single person that didn’t absolutely love my mom. If I go to the doctor, the first thing he’d ask me is “how’s your mom?’ Because they all know her. She was just so involved.”
Angelle said that while her mother was quiet and reserved in her later years, that wasn’t always the case – Sampey and her sister Faye were practically inseparable and could turn any gathering into a celebration. And Sampey loved those – weddings, family functions, being on the water at Lake Salvador and spending time in the sun.
“My mom and aunt could walk into a place where nobody was having fun and get the party started within the hour,” Angelle said. “She didn’t care your age, your color, your background, what you could or couldn’t do for her – she treated everybody exactly the same.”
Sampey celebrated her family the most.
Her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews were her greatest source of happiness. She constantly bragged about their accomplishments and celebrated even the smallest milestones, Angelle said.
“She lived through us,” Angelle said. “She absolutely loved watching us succeed. She never really did anything for herself. Everything she did was for somebody else … it didn’t matter what it was. I could send her a picture of a meal I was eating and she would jump in and say, ‘Oh, I love that.’
“My mom’s entire life was her family. She’s got so many keepsakes that we’re finding, and everything was about me and my brother, and her grandkids, nieces and nephews. She was as proud of her nieces and nephews as she was my brother and I. She bragged about everything we did.”
There were, of course, struggles. Angelle said her mother battled anxiety, particularly after losing her husband – David passed away in October of last year. Angelle noted it was a struggle for her mother to push through the sadness of his death, but that she was beginning to find enjoyment in her life again.
“Losing my dad, it hit her hard. She was just turning the corner from that,” Angelle said. “She had just started to say she was ready to live again.”
Angelle said her mother taught her how to believe in herself and that she could do anything she set her mind to – that self-belief inspired by her mother spurred Angelle to become a record-setting drag racer.
“She never cared if I won or lost the race – that meant nothing to her, because all she wanted was to see that I made it safe,” Angelle said. “If I were to quit at any moment, it would have been a relief to her, so she wouldn’t have to worry anymore. She hated me being on that motorcycle, or getting into that drag car, but she was my biggest fan at the same time. She knew how badly I wanted it.”
Angelle said her mother devoted so many days to taking care of her grandchildren so that Angelle could chase her dreams and did the same for her brother.
Angelle said the days following her mother’s death have been extremely difficult for the family.
Sampey’s family wants justice following her death.
The place where Sampey was struck near her home is an extremely busy area of traffic, Sampey said – “everybody passes my mom’s house.’
“I strongly believe if that woman hadn’t hit my mother and killed her, it was going to be a child or someone young who had so much life ahead of them,” Angelle said. “I’m hoping that whatever happens, she isn’t allowed behind the wheel again.
“I believe my mom’s life was taken so that someone younger than her’s wasn’t,” Angelle said. “That’s what I strongly believe, and that’s what’s helping me to get through this.”
She added that she hopes the attention the tragedy has garnered will convey the danger of distracted and careless driving.
“Please, everybody stop at the stop sign,” she said. “We watched cars go through that stop sign at my mom’s house 150 times a day. Nobody stops, they slow down and keep going. My mom was constantly worried about those kids on her street. In memory of my mom, please start paying attention when you’re driving through those neighborhoods.”
