Faye Samson

Faye Patra Samson (née Finley) passed away peacefully on 20 May.  Faye was born in Mound, Minnesota in 1933, and grew up in a loving household with her brother Richard before leaving to attend the University of Minnesota.  Faye studied English and worked at the hospital in Minneapolis and eventually met her future husband Harland on campus.  They moved to Alaska, North Dakota and eventually Iowa as a married couple, before finally moving to Madison.  Faye loved horses, gardening, and walking in the woods in autumn.  She was adept at catching garter snakes and bullfrogs, much to the delight of her four sons.  Faye was a loving and dedicated mother, who spent countless hours helping with school projects, cheering on her boys at swim meets and supporting the community through dedicated volunteer work.  Faye graduated from the UW with a degree in Conservation Biology, learned to speak Norwegian, became an expert on genealogy and continued to take classes until she was in her seventies thanks to her love of learning and for the chance to be inspired by the dynamic students around her.  She was a keen traveler, voracious reader and bridge player extraordinaire.  Faye is survived by her sons Craig, Lee and Kirk, her grand and great-grandchildren and is preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, Harland, and their son Scott. Cards can be sent to Kirk Samson at 133 Pierce Rd., Highland Park IL 60035.  A private family service will be held in northern Wisconsin later this summer, but in lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to one of her favorite places: the Henry Vilas Zoo.