Bernard P. Sampson, 76, of Plymouth

Bernard Patrick Sampson, 76, of 4 Deer Hill Lane in Plymouth, died July 9 after a prolonged illness. A licensed residential real estate appraiser, Bernie established Appraisal House Online in 2002, serving Plymouth, Brockton, and the South Shore. He volunteered on local political campaigns during the early 2000s, making time for others while also starting his business. In 1990, he joined the Old Colony Club which was established in Plymouth in 1796, one of the oldest men's clubs in the country. Bernie was club president in 2006-07 and remained a respected member throughout the years.

Bernie had an abiding appreciation of archaeology, history, literature and the arts. In his fifties, he began writing poetry marked by brevity and a unique musicality. His published collection, After the Sinking: Thirty Poems will soon be in its second printing. Bernie came to the art of poetry by listening to recordings of poets reading their own poetry. He loved listening to them until he could not only recite the poems but could also duplicate the sound of the individual voices of the poets, much to the delight of his listeners. From there, he began writing his own poems and continued to write until recently.

Born to Eva and George Sampson on June 9, 1947, in Plymouth's Jordan Hospital, Bernie came of age on Sandwich Street, attended Plymouth public schools and was a member of the first graduating class of the newly built Plymouth-Carver High School in 1965. Selected for a position as a Pilgrim guide after graduation, Bernie regaled tourists with a memorized speech delivered from the Plymouth Rock canopy and at the Pilgrim Monument. Later in life, he could be cajoled into repeating the speech at dinner parties. He attended Bard College and the New York School of Film and Photography after high school, later working as a video technician in the still early days of television for one of the New York local stations.

Aside from his more recent work as an appraiser, Bernie was also a real estate broker in Plymouth during the eighties. He also helped manage a call center at Bartlett International on Aldrin Rd., and from 1988 to 1992 owned and operated the Little Professor Book Center on Carver Rd., along with his wife, Lisa.

With the advent of digital technologies and computerization, he worked in technical support at Stream International in Canton, MA for a time but remained in Plymouth, his permanent home, residing at 77 Powder Horn Pond Rd. For 21 years he spent many happy and contented hours on the pond with his family, including his late sister Anne Bailey as well as his beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, elder aunts and uncles, along with his many good friends and their children.

Bernie is survived by his loving wife, Lisa, his siblings, Arlene Murray of Carver and Dennis, and George Sampson of Worcester, Massachusetts. He is also survived by seven nieces and nephews, as well as eight great nieces and nephews.

A memorial reading of After the Sinking will be held at Cold Spring Chapel, 190 Court St., Plymouth, on Aug. 4 at 10:30 a.m. He will be remembered in prayers during regular Sunday services at the Chiltonville Congregational Church, 6 River St., Plymouth. Charitable contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society in lieu of flowers.