MWDN: Given lemons, Southborough man made lemonade

By all accounts, Southborough last week lost a remarkable resident. Twenty-nine year-old Michael Sampson died of a rare genetic disease. Yesterday the Metrowest Daily News ran a profile of him that is worth a read.

If it was a sweltering hot day in the 1990s, and you were traveling down Central Street, chances are Michael Sampson had you covered.

And when the snow piled up high on the sides of the road in the dead of winter, Sampson was there — all 3 feet 6 inches and 60 pounds of him — to offer hot cocoa and cider, some good conversation and a ready smile.
For a reasonable fee, of course.

Sampson, who cornered the seasonal beverage market in Southborough for a decade with his signature “Mikey’s Famous Lemonade,” died Friday of a very rare debilitating disease, Cockayne syndrome. He was 29.

Read more about Sampson’s life in this article by the MWDN.