Born Severino (aka "Severo") Possenti on Feb 10, 1906 in Asciano Pisano, Tuscany, Italy, the eldest of four children of Emilio ("Tony") and Uliva ("Olive") (Grassini) Possenti. He arrived in the U.S. with his mother and younger sister in Oct 1913, joining his father who was working for the Great Northern Railroad in Havre, Montana. When he entered the public schools there at age 7, his teachers found his first name "too hard" to pronounce or spell, and they changed it to Samuel/Sam. He had his name legally changed to Samuel when he became a naturalized U.S. citizen on Nov 21, 1932 in Havre. Along with having to learn English he also had to overcome a stutter, and later in life he suffered profound hearing loss, probably due to his work with the Montana Highway Department. Among his various jobs were as a surveyor and as Superintendent of the Havre Water Dept's water treatment plant. He married Ruth Evelyn Rathbone in Hudson, Wisconsin in March 1934, and had one daughter. They divorced in 1991. He loved dogs, collected clocks, and was an avid reader. He also enjoyed going for drives in the country and telling entertaining stories. He made his only return visit to his little hometown in Italy 70 years after he'd left at age 7. When asked about the experience he said he didn't like it because the town had changed (lol). Other than his first 7 years in Italy and about a decade (approx 1977-1988) spent in Cape Elizabeth, Maine to be near his daughter and her family, he lived his entire life in Havre. He died at his home there of a heart attack on Jan 7, 1992 at age 85. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered by his family in a place that was special to him.
Born Severino (aka "Severo") Possenti on Feb 10, 1906 in Asciano Pisano, Tuscany, Italy, the eldest of four children of Emilio ("Tony") and Uliva ("Olive") (Grassini) Possenti. He arrived in the U.S. with his mother and younger sister in Oct 1913, joining his father who was working for the Great Northern Railroad in Havre, Montana. When he entered the public schools there at age 7, his teachers found his first name "too hard" to pronounce or spell, and they changed it to Samuel/Sam. He had his name legally changed to Samuel when he became a naturalized U.S. citizen on Nov 21, 1932 in Havre. Along with having to learn English he also had to overcome a stutter, and later in life he suffered profound hearing loss, probably due to his work with the Montana Highway Department. Among his various jobs were as a surveyor and as Superintendent of the Havre Water Dept's water treatment plant. He married Ruth Evelyn Rathbone in Hudson, Wisconsin in March 1934, and had one daughter. They divorced in 1991. He loved dogs, collected clocks, and was an avid reader. He also enjoyed going for drives in the country and telling entertaining stories. He made his only return visit to his little hometown in Italy 70 years after he'd left at age 7. When asked about the experience he said he didn't like it because the town had changed (lol). Other than his first 7 years in Italy and about a decade (approx 1977-1988) spent in Cape Elizabeth, Maine to be near his daughter and her family, he lived his entire life in Havre. He died at his home there of a heart attack on Jan 7, 1992 at age 85. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered by his family in a place that was special to him.
Gravesite Details
His ashes were scattered in Hill County, Montana at a place that was special to him.
