Bassett Family Association Database

Shumla Steffan

Female 1920 - 2008  (87 years)


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  • Name Shumla Steffan 
    Born 11 Nov 1920  Lebanon Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Female 
    _UID 13C8AFF8587E68498D33C3D73698C45A4F51 
    Died 5 Apr 2008  Ann Arbor, Michigan Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Buried 10 Apr 2008  Marble Park Cemetery, Milan, Michigan Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Notes 
    • SHUMLA BASSITT
      The Milan News Leader, 10 Apr 2008

      Shumla Bassitt, 87, of Milan died peacefully April 5, 2008, at University Living in Ann Arbor. She was born Nov. 11, 1920, in Lebanon to Hania and Sol Steffan.

      She came to the United States as a young girl and on Jan. 5, 1941, married Eli Bassitt. They were together 56 years until the love of her life died March 29, 1997.

      Mrs. Bassitt, along with her husband, owned and operated Bassitt's store in Milan for more than 40 years. They were among the founders of Greater Milan Inc., members of the Marble Memorial United Methodist Church, the Milan Downtown Development Authority and the Washtenaw Country Club.

      Mrs. Bassitt was also founder and charter member of the Milan Investment Club, a member of the Milan Woman's Club, Order of Eastern Star, the American Legion Auxiliary Post 268 of Milan and served as the first lady of Milan in 1978, when her husband was elected mayor.

      Mrs. Bassitt had a passion for studying stocks, playing bridge and golfing. She was a vital part of Milan. She was a very vibrant and educated woman who was dedicated to her community and will be sorely missed.

      Survivors include her son, David (Randy) Bassitt of Stillwater, Minn; her daughter, Stephanie (Gerald) Stanton of Frankenmuth; grandchildren, Lisa (Jon) DeLange, Jeffrey (Trisha) Stanton, Jennifer (Christopher) Burdette, great-grandchildren, Isabel and Eli Stanton, Joshua DeLange and Abigail Burdette; and a sister, Vivian (Marshall) Woods of Bethesda, Md.

      In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by a grandson David Bassitt.

      A funeral will be held 11 a.m. Thursday at Marble Memorial United Methodist Church in Milan. The Rev. Thomas Hart will officiate. Burial will follow at Marble Park Cemetery.

      Memorial contributions may be made to Marble Memorial United Methodist Church, 8 Park St., Milan, MI 48160. Envelopes are also available at Ochalek-Stark Funeral Home in Milan.

      Shumla Bassitt honored by Legion Auxiliary
      By Margie Bovee, Staff Writer, 23 Dec 2004

      During a recent Swiss Steak Dinner sponsored by Milan's American Legion Auxiliary Post 268, Past President Jean Early presented longtime Milan resident Shumla Bassitt with a pin in recognition of her 58 years of continous membership in the Auxiliary.

      "Shumla is the longest continous Auxiliary member in the history of Post 268," said Early. "She is a true and loyal auxiliary member. She is supportive of all our events."

      Bassitt is modest and unassuming about her lifetime achievements and contributions to the City of Milan. As she keenly and articulately recalls the past, there is a consistent thread woven into the fiber of her story. That thread is the drive, presistency and vision of Shumla Bassitt - a woman who has made an impact on the lives of many people and on the development of Milan's business community.

      When lifelong Milan residetn Eli Bassitt brought his young bridge, Shumla, to Milan in 1941, he may not have predicted the affect she would have on his small hometown. But then again, propsing to her just three short days after he met her at a convention in West Virginia, may be proof that as well as being drawn to her charm, he recognized her other exceptional qualities, and he wasn't going to let her get away.

      Shumla Steffan's father was dazed and disarmed by the whirlwind courtship of his daughter by this mid-western gentleman by the name of Bassitt. He insisted that the couple wait a few months before they marry. When he was convinced of their love for each other, he invited the entire congregation of the Baptist Church in Williamson, W.V., to attend their wedding on Jan. 5, 1941.

      Shortly after their marriage, Eli was drafted into the military service, leaving Shumla to help her in-laws run Bassitt's General Store, which they had purchased in 1927.

      Shumla was no stranger to the retail business. She had started her retail career dusting boxes in a department store in her hometown when she was 12-years old.

      As she worked side by side along with her in-laws, she began suggesting new product lines for the store. The elder Bassitts quickly learned that Shumla's merchandising acumen and sense of style had direct relationship to the profits of their store. They soon learned to value her opinions. The store flourished.

      After recovering from serious injuries incurred during the war, Eli returned to Milan and to the family business. This was the beginning of the husband and wife team working side by side for the next 40 years. "We worked well together," comments Shumla. He was in charge of the store. I was in charge in the home. We had the utmost respect for each other."

      Transformed into a major department store with 17 employees, Bassitt's held its grand opening on march 27, 1968. Boasting seven departments, from shoes and high fashion dresses to men's formal wear, shoppers came from Ann Arbor and other surrounding areas to shop at Bassitt's Department Store on Main Street in Milan.

      The July 30, 1975 Milan Booster Leader includes a photo of the U-M basketball team being fitted for their for athletic shoes. The headline of the story reads: "U-M Cagers to Play on Shoes from Bassitt's Store." Shumla say, "We carried sizes 17 and up. We were the only ones who did."

      Bassitt's reached out to the community holding fashion shows as fund-raisers. The runway at Bassitt's may not have rivaled that of the fashion capital of it namesake in Italy, however for Southeastern Michigan, Bassitt's was "it".

      "We worked hard," Shumla recalls. "We're a family of action. We worked 16 hours a day if we had to. I liked the feeling of accomplishment and I felt we built an empire out of nothing."

      Meanwhile, Shumla recognized a need for the development of industry in Milan. In 1961, she organized Greater Milan Inc., an organization dedicated to promoting Milan and to attracting business and industry to the community. She involved all the merchants from within the City of Milan and rallied them to join together to encourage industry to settle in Milan. The goal was to increase Milan's tax base and insure its vibrancy as a community. According to Shumla, the group brought eight industires to the city. Greater Milan Inc. meant progress for Milan.

      With Eli Bassitt's health failing, the couple sold their department store in 1976. Concerned about his poor health, Eli worried about his wife's future. He began to teach her the elements of investments and the stock market.

      "Eli was an investment genius," says Shumla as she pulls a letter from one of her meticulously arranged files.

      The letter is from the president of Value Line Investment magazine, who commended Eli for showing talent as an "investor of superior judgement."

      Shumla readily learned about the stock market. In 1978 she applied for membership in the National Association of Investment Clubs of Detroit. Once accepted, she invited 12 of her friends to join her in forming the Milan Investment Club. The group is ongoing with 15 members, four of whom are founding members. The group now holds a healthy portfolio of investments - a tribute to Eli Bassii and his star pupil. Eli died on Easter Sunday, March 29, 1997.

      As she approaches her mid-80s (still no willing to car herself middle-age), Shumla has re-focused her activities. Once an avid golfer (at the age of 70, she scored a hole-in-one), Shumla is a longtime member of the Washtenaw Country Club. She also holds lifelong memberships in the Eastern Star and the Milan Woman's Club. She meets with her friends every morning for breakfast and spends time on her computer keeping abreast of the stock market, world events and e-mailing her grandchildren and her two children, Stephanie and David.

      Shumla Bassitt is a woman whose kindness, intelligence, elegance, grace and keen observations in life have attracted people to her as both a mentor and role model. She has touched the lives of many people and made a difference in the community.

      "I was once the First Lady of Milan," laughs Shumla, referring to her husband's term as mayor of Milan form 1977-79.

      Although Shumla would modestly deny the attribution, she could in fact hold lifelong membership as the First Lady of Milan.
    Person ID I46  107B Bassetts of Syria & Lebanon
    Last Modified 14 Mar 2014 

    Father Sol Steffan 
    Mother Hania Steffan 
    Family ID F75  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Eli George Bassitt,   b. 24 Nov 1920, West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 29 Mar 1997, Monroe Co., Michigan Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 76 years) 
    Married 5 Jan 1941  Baptist Church at Williamson, West Virginia Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
    +1. David Bassitt
     2. Stephanie Bassitt
    Last Modified 17 Mar 2014 
    Family ID F22  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart