Samuel Kessel was born in Lithuania on March 10, 1922, the youngest of five children. His father had died shortly before he was born.
When World War II broke out, Samuel was 17 years old. He and his family were forced to relocate to a ghetto in his town. They were eventually deported to the Stutthof concentration camp. After one month, they were transported by railcar, without food or water, to Dachau concentration camp. Upon their arrival at the camp, they were given nothing more than cabbage stems to eat. Samuel and his brother were put to work as electricians around the camp and were spared. Their mother, sister, and niece were murdered. Late in the war, Samuel and his brother were forced on a death march. On the morning of May 2, 1945, upon waking on the ground, they realized the Nazi guards were gone. They heard the sound of tanks approaching. It was the American army. They gave the liberated prisoners food and water and then transported them to an army camp for medical help.
After spending time in Europe after the war, including Berlin and Paris, Samuel made his way to Mexico City where a cousin lived. He met his future wife, Leah, and after running a successful business in San Diego, they moved to El Paso in 2003, where they have a large extended family.