LEWISTON — Paul Alfred Samson, 71, of Lewiston and Nokomis, Fla., passed away Monday, April 28, from ischemic heart disease caused by Agent Orange exposure, MDS and lung cancer.

He was raised in Lewiston by his parents, Jean L. and Leontine Descoteaux, who adopted him when he was 4½ years old. He attended St. Peter’s, Mount St. Charles Academy in Rhode Island, graduated from St. Dominic’s High School and attended the University of Maine and the Criminal Justice Academy.

In 1962, he joined the Knights of Columbus, Counsel 106, in Lewiston and had been actively involved and served as grand knight and faithful navigator.

Paul joined the U.S. Marines from 1963 to 1967, receiving a Presidential Unit Citation and a national defense medal, and left the service as a sergeant. He did a tour of duty in Vietnam as a heavy equipment operator and worked in the military police.

In 1966, he married Therese Albert and had two sons, Mark and Eric. Following the Marines, Paul came to Lewiston and proudly served in the Lewiston Police Department for 15½ years, until he was seriously injured on the job and later received the Award of Valor.

In 1988 he married Betty Ann Tucci, who passed away in 1990 from breast cancer.

In 1993, he married Patience H. Johnson of Auburn. Shortly thereafter, he decided to run for Ward 5 of the Lewiston City Council and was elected for several terms, until he retired due to health issues. A few years later, he went back to serve in that position and completed his service in 2007. In this position, he greatly loved working for the people of Lewiston — his hometown.

Over the years, he was involved and served in many organizations in the Lewiston community, including Lewiston Housing Authority, Lewiston School Committee downtown, Redevelopment Maine, as a municipal representative, Empowerment Zone in Lewiston, Lewiston Land Committee, Lewiston-Auburn Transit Committee, U.S. Marine Corps, League American Legion, Post 210, Disabled Veterans Franco American League and AMVETS. He was also vice president of the board of directors for the Lake Village Homeowners Association in Nokomis, Fla., where he enjoyed his time as a “snow bird.”

Spending time with his children and grandchildren was the most important activity for him; he loved them all very much.

He will be sadly missed by his wife, Patience Johnson; his sons, Mark Samson and his wife, Marie, and Eric Samson and his wife, Holly; and his stepchildren, Kimberly Tisue of Fort Collins, Colo., and Robert Johnson and his wife, Lori, of Carlsbad, Calif. Together, Paul and Patience had eight grandchildren, Connor, Callie, Madison, Camren, Kayla, Sarah, Brendon and Bryan. Several years ago, he met some of his brothers and sisters and enjoyed spending time with them, especially Pierre Renaud, Shirley Philippi and Bridgett Flanagan.

He was predeceased by his parents, the Samsons.

Online condolences and sharing of memories may be expressed at www.lynchbrothers.com.