June 16, 1880—November 13, 1964
NAPOLEON—Moses H. Bassett, 83, died in Heller Memorial Hospital Thursday afternoon.  He had retired in 1950 after operating a variety store in Napoleon for 27 years.

Mr. Bassett was a member of the First Presbyterian Church; a life member of the Scottish Rite, Toledo; a former member of the Knights Templar, Defiance; former member of the Zenobia Shrine, Toledo, Blue Lodge 256, Napoleon, and local chapter of Free and Accepted Masons.

Surviving are his wife, Hassibe; three sons, Edward of Napoleon and his wife Ethyl Matteson; Dewey of Dayton and his wife Hope Mershon; and Victor of Falls Church, VA; and two grandchildren, Debbie Owen and David. 
​
Moses was born in Kfeir, Hasbaiya, Lebanon, teaching school briefly before immigrating to the United States. He landed at Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1903, and took a train to Detroit where he passed into the United States at the age of 23. His US contact was his brother Elias (Eli) Bassiet of Welch, West Virginia. He became a naturalized citizen in 1910, just days before marrying Hicebee Bassett on January 11, 1910, in Toledo, Ohio.

His first occupation was that of a peddler, but because of his intelligence, a wholesaler provided him with a horse and wagon, permitting him to service a much wider area in northern Ohio than those who worked on foot.  His first known store operation was in Chillicothe, Ohio collaborating with Abraham Bassett, brother of Hicebee. He established a Five and Dime store in Napolean, Ohio in 1923 operating it it successfully for 27 years.

Moses was well respected in his community and among his many friends and acquaintances of Kfeir and deeply admired by his nephew and nieces.