Samuel

On the morning of June 16, 2010, my father woke me with a somber expression and told me to come into the family room. I walked in to see my sisters gathered around my dad, all with the same scared expression. He went on to tell us that my cousin Sam was driving down a windy country road after a baseball game late the night before when another driver hit him. His car rolled off the road and into the ravine. Sam went through the windshield. The first responders told my family that had Sam been wearing his seatbelt, he would still be with us today. He would have turned 22 that August. Sam lived with the rest of my family in Washington, Missouri, where my mother grew up. He had a passion for car mechanics. He often volunteered to work on his friends cars free of charge. He was incredibly gifted at baseball and played all throughout high school. His dream was to open up his own diesel mechanics shop on the family farm so that he could help his neighbors with their cars and farm equipment. Sam had two siblings: his older brother Zach and his older sister Kady. Zach has always been the serious one who rarely smiles. Kady has been sweet and quiet for as long as I have known her. I remember Sam as being the fun cousin. He was always smiling and laughing. He brought so much joy to everyone around him. My last memory of him was at my grandpa's funeral. I was too young to understand what was happening so he took me into the kids' room and played checkers and other games with me the whole time. It saddens me to this day that we didn't visit them more often, so that I could have spent more time with him. Sam was such an amazing person. Everyone adored him because of his charming, caring, and lovable personality. Every time I get in my car and put my seatbelt on, I can't help but think about Sam. To think that something so simple could have kept such an amazing human being on earth astounds me. However, it reminds me of Sam nonetheless, which makes me smile. Sam brought joy and happiness to all he encountered. He is and will forever be deeply missed.