By Joseph Colliton
Throughout his life, Sam Stella was always inclined to serve others. He served his country in the military, his community as a police officer, and his family as a caretaker for his wife Jeannie while she had health issues. Sam is an honorable man that stays true to what he believes in.
Sam’s Family moved from the Fenway in Boston to Wakefield when he was 6. Sam grew up in Wakefield, MA, with his parents and 3 younger sisters. His father died of cancer when he was 11, which changed his life drastically. Sam’s mother taught him how to sew and taught him basic finances. With a single mother and younger sisters, Sam did paper routes in order to feed himself and buy himself clothes. Sam often missed meals to keep his younger sisters fed. At times he neglected school because he had to work to survive. He nearly dropped out but was capable of earning A’s when he put his mind and time into it. He passed high school with mostly C’s .
Sam’s Family moved from the Fenway in Boston to Wakefield when he was 6. Sam grew up in Wakefield, MA, with his parents and 3 younger sisters. His father died of cancer when he was 11, which changed his life drastically. Sam’s mother taught him how to sew and taught him basic finances. With a single mother and younger sisters, Sam did paper routes in order to feed himself and buy himself clothes. Sam often missed meals to keep his younger sisters fed. At times he neglected school because he had to work to survive. He nearly dropped out but was capable of earning A’s when he put his mind and time into it. He passed high school with mostly C’s .
After Sam’s time in the service, he found himself back in Wakefield. He began working as a Wakefield Police officer in May of 1972. He married his wife Jeannie in May of 1973 at St. Florence Church. Jeannie worked as a hairdresser at Aldo’s Beauty Salon in Wakefield. They lived on Richardson Avenue in the first-floor apartment and had a wonderful marriage. Sam’s time as a police officer was far from a tedious job. In a close call, his cruiser was broadsided by a large bread truck. The man that hit him passed away. Another incident Sam had on the job was when he was held captive with a shotgun pressed to his forehead. He and his fellow officers also captured four of the Winter Hill gang in a car chase after they committed an armed robbery at the corner of Water and Farm Street. Another thrilling story Sam told was how he arrested a convicted murderer from South Boston. He even took part in a police chase, which involved a stolen antique car!
Sam had many traumatic experiences throughout his life, one of the more notable being his partner, Frankie Steechi unexpectedly committing suicide on March 1st, 1980. Sam felt that he missed all the telltale signs, and he had trouble dealing with his friend’s death. To help him deal with the tragedy, Sam sought psychiatric help at that time.
Sam’s police career was cut short in January of 1982 when he suffered a major stroke that was originally misdiagnosed as a back injury. Forced to retire from the police department due to his disability, Sam had to relearn reading, writing, and arithmetic as well as relearn the use of one leg. Then, he started a new chapter in his life.
In September 1983, Christopher Barrett asked him if he would like to work in real estate. He learned how to appraise and sell real estate properties. He describes selling real estate as fun, and much safer than police work. In 1987, Sam ran in a local election for a seat on the Board of Health in Wakefield and won and was re-elected many times. Sam continued to develop in the real estate business and grow his skill. With an amicable farewell from Chris’ office, Sam started his own real estate business on January 17, 1991, and recalls that he was busy from the day he opened but was forced to move his business to his home in the summer due to his wife’s ill health.
On September 5th, 1991, Jeannie had a kidney transplant from a live donor, her foster sister Cheryl (Smith) Carr. The transplant went well, and now Sam had to step into the role of her caretaker. Sam described being her caretaker as “not easy, [as] she needed a lot of help.” This was a difficult time, as Sam was struggling with his own PTSD, for which he was trying to get help from the Veterans Administration. In 2010, Sam resigned from the Board of Health.
In early 2006, Jeannie’s transplanted kidney stopped functioning. She needed dialysis treatments to survive. She began at home, with four sessions a day for the next six years. When that was not enough, she began hemodialysis at a clinic. The next three and a half years were “awful,” as Sam describes. Through it all he was at Jeannie’s side. Sadly, she passed away on July 15, 2016.
Sam continues to live in Wakefield. He writes nonfiction short stories about his life. He says most are humorous, though some are humorous in dark ways. Sam is still active in the community and is a member of various veterans’ organizations, giving back his knowledge and experience to people that can benefit from it.
