Ronnie Sampson

Ronnie was the kind of person who left an indelible mark. He was endlessly kind, wildly talented, deeply funny, and full of heart. A gentle introvert with a razor-sharp wit, he made people feel safe, seen, and delighted. He could disarm you with a joke, listen with his whole being, and had a magical way of meeting people exactly where they were—children, elders, neighbors, strangers. Everyone.

Born on August 22, 1959, in Shirley, Massachusetts, Ronnie was a middle child of five. He grew up in Iowa, Louisiana, and Virginia, where his father was a professor of sociology at Norfolk State University. Growing up, Ronnie was the kind of kid who was always drawing, always noticing, always figuring out how things worked, visually, emotionally, and practically. Though his creativity didn’t always fit into traditional boxes, he pursued his vision with quiet determination. He earned a BFA in Painting and Printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1982 and never stopped learning from that day on.

Ronnie’s life was defined by art, movement, and connection. In the 1980s and early ’90s, he was an integral part of Richmond, Virginia’s arts community. He exhibited widely, served as a board member and instructor at the Richmond Printmaking Workshop, and co-founded the Florence Gallery to showcase local artists. With his wife and creative partner Nancy Martin, he also co-published a visual arts magazine that helped cultivate and connect artists across the city.

In 1993, Ronnie and Nancy moved to San Francisco, where they co-founded Viridian, a creative studio providing design, illustration, and animation services for small and mid-size businesses. Ronnie also served as Creative Director for OMTI, Inc. for more than two decades, shaping the company’s visual identity and contributing to long-term strategy with his usual mix of clarity, humor, and heart.

Ronnie was endlessly multidisciplinary. He was a designer, animator, 3D artist, photographer, illustrator, video editor, and painter. He was largely self-taught in new technologies and deeply self-driven, constantly exploring new software, new styles, new methods. Outside of his commercial work, he created art in ink, watercolor, oil pastels, digital tools—whatever the idea called for. In recent years, he returned to painting in acrylics, exhibiting a beautiful and soulful series of chair portraits that quietly honored the shape of stillness, solitude, and human presence. One of these paintings won third place in the 2023 El Cerrito Art Association’s juried show. He served on the board of Kala Art Institute from 2021 to 2025.

As impressive as his creative output was, what made Ronnie so unforgettable wasn’t just what he made, but also how he moved through the world.

Ronnie didn’t drive, by choice. He and Nancy lived car-free, walking and taking transit everywhere—both in San Francisco and in Oakland where they eventually settled in 2004. Their walks—often with coffee as the destination and exploring as the true purpose—took them through many neighborhoods in Oakland and beyond. Ronnie loved the sensory richness of these walks: gardens blooming in front yards, light playing off shadows, a vintage sign, a good piece of “plush roadkill” (his affectionate term for abandoned stuffed animals on the street). He noticed everything. He also noticed people. On these walks, they became neighbors with folks miles away from their house.

Ronnie loved Tai Chi, which he and Nancy practiced weekly for 18 years, as well as tap dancing, which he started later in life just because he wanted to. He adored chocolate and co-founded the blog Chocolate by the Bay, which reviewed artisan chocolates and celebrated small makers with whimsy and care. He was a fantastic cook, though modest about it, and took joy in the daily magic of making good food, especially for Nancy.

He was also a magnet for kids, who seemed to know instantly that he was someone worth trusting. He saw people. Whether he was helping the neighborhood with emergency preparedness, chatting with someone new at the corner cafe, or quietly encouraging a fellow artist to keep going, Ronnie had a way of expanding the world around him with tenderness and light.

He and Nancy were married for 40 years and together for even longer—working, walking, creating, dancing, traveling, and loving each other with a rare and beautiful steadiness. They were true partners, co-conspirators, and best friends. They inspired those around them with their ability to live in the present, take pleasure in the simple things, and relish every moment of the beautiful life they built together.

Ronnie is survived by his wife, Nancy Martin; his siblings Michael, Mitzi, Mark, and Rita Sampson; and a large extended family of relatives, friends, neighbors, collaborators, and fellow wanderers.

A celebration of Ronnie’s life will be held later this year. In the meantime, you are invited to take a walk, wave at someone, listen closely, wear good shoes, take a photo of something overlooked—or simply be kind. That’s how Ronnie would’ve done it.