Stephen Samsel of Fairfield, Connecticut, passed away peacefully at his home on December 22nd, at the age of 98, just days shy of his 99th birthday.  Steve was the beloved husband of Dorothy Samsel (nee Tomasko), to whom he was married for 69 years. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Steve was the second youngest of the 10 children of Stanislaw and Rozalia Samsel. 

Born on Saint Stephen’s Day, December 26, 1926, to Polish immigrants during the Great Depression, Steve grew up in Bridgeport. After his parents died young, his siblings stayed close, supporting each other and instilling values that he emulated throughout his life - service to others, tenacity, and dedication to family. His siblings remained central figures throughout his life: beloved aunts and uncles to his children and grandchildren; steady pillars of support to a growing family.

Steve served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, an experience that took him far beyond Connecticut and introduced him to the generosity of fellow Americans. Assigned to the landing ship LSM1, Steve served as a Motor Machinist’s Mate in the South Pacific, including service in the Philippines, maintaining the engines that kept his ship and its crew moving safely through the war.

Steve married his beloved wife Dorothy in 1949, and they built a life defined by family, ingenuity, and care for others. In the 1950s, Steve built the house he and Dorothy would live in all their lives, and which became the center of family life for generations, engaging the talents of his brother and other family and friends. Teaching himself whatever trades were needed, he built the house while building his family, working in the evenings and weekends until its completion, several years later.

A lifelong tinkerer and true renaissance man, there was little he couldn’t make, fix, or improve. Steve worked as a machinist for Singer Sewing Machine, DuPont Sorvall, and others. Before the advent of computer-aided design, he spent his career as a model maker, fabricating prototypes for countless household or medical devices. Outside of work, he was the person people called when something broke. There wasn’t a house in the family untouched by his hands—appliances repaired, walls rebuilt, details finished. His daughters remember him replacing a neighbor’s car engine on Christmas Eve; his grandchildren remember his help with school projects, sewn Halloween costumes, and the dollhouses and wooden boxes he built for them. His basement was filled with an organized collection of spare parts and tools just waiting for their next project. 

Steve Samsel is remembered by his four daughters: Marianne Sawyer (Gary Sawyer), Patricia Humphreys (Bruce Humphreys), Andrea Samsel (Bill Mackey), and Laurie Ross (Fred Ross);  his eight grandchildren, Kathryn, Joseph (who predeceased him), and Jaclyn Sawyer, Ryan and Steven Ives Humphreys, Jonathan, Christopher, and Stephanie Ross, as well as many nieces, nephews, family members, friends, and admirers in his community. In addition to his parents, Steve is predeceased by his brothers Joseph and Anthony Samsel; his sisters Mary Samsel, Sr. Mary Ancilla, Rose Andrechak, Clara Cooper, Victoria Chormanski, Sr. Mary Rayneld, and Dolores Micinilio.

One of Steve’s endearing qualities was his quiet, unassuming, but upbeat view of the world; when asked how he was, Steve would answer with one word:  ‘FANTASTIC!’. Steve lived with a smile on his face, hands always busy, and an enduring belief that life, even when hard, was something to be met with good humor and a ‘fix it’ spirit. He will be remembered for his generosity, his craftsmanship, and the way he made everyone around him feel that things, somehow, would turn out just fine.

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, December 30 at 11:30 am at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 545 Stratfield Road, Fairfield, CT

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to:

 Honor Flight Island

 Our Lady of Assumption Church, Fairfield CT

 Repair Cafe International Foundation

 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation