Daniel Samples

Daniel Samples, 66, of Robinson, passed away Sunday, August 6, 2017 at Providence Hospital after a brief illness. A Memorial Service will be 3:30 p.m. Thursday, August 10, at the Elliston Chapel, 3rd Street and Bagby on the Baylor University Campus.

Dan was born September 5, 1950 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, to Robert P. and Margaret Samples. His family moved to the Dallas area and he attended school there. He enlisted in the Navy in 1969 and served until 1977. While in the Navy he completed his GED. He was honorably discharged and immediately began studying at Richland College in Dallas. He then transferred to Texas A&M at College Station where he earned his BS, MS and PhD.

During this time at A&M he met his wife, Roxann, and they married in 1983.

Dan became interested in pathology during graduate school and then attended the medical school at UT Health Science Center in San Antonio. He completed his training in pathology at Baylor Hospital in Dallas in 1994.

He and his family moved to Waco that summer when he joined the Central Texas Pathology group where he enjoyed working until he was given the opportunity to teach at Baylor University. He found that working with students and teaching was his true calling and when he was given the opportunity to teach full time, he retired from pathology in 2013.

He greatly enjoyed working with his students and colleagues in the College of Arts and Sciences and looked forward to being the faculty sponsor for AED, the prehealth society at Baylor.
He was preceded in death by his father, Robert P. Samples.

Dan is survived by his wife, Roxann; daughter, Caitlin; son, Daniel; mother, Margaret; sister, Sandy Strozeski and husband, Mike; and brother, Steve.

Dan will be greatly missed by his family, friends and students.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations may be made to the Baylor Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Delta to support its mission trip to the Dominican Republic. Gifts can be made online to the Alpha Epsilon Delta Team at www.baylor.edu/give