‘Gentleman’ Sam was courageous to the last
HEARTFELT tributes have been paid to Sam following his death.
Greg Hughes, who has been friends with Sam since high school, described him as ‘resilient and brave’.
Greg, who lived with Sam during their time at the University of Birmingham, said: “Sam was a brilliant IT wizard and NFL aficionado, a truly caring and kind gentleman who will be sorely missed by the huge number of friends and colleagues who had the pleasure of knowing him.
“I joked with him that he seemed to know half of Macc because he bumped into friends so often while out and about; he was the kind of guy who had time for everyone.
“Despite being dealt a difficult hand in life, Sam was resilient and brave through it all, and he always stayed in good spirits. Rest in peace, buddy.”
Francis Power, headteacher at Fallibroome where Sam was a former pupil and worked as an IT technician, also paid tribute: “It is with great sadness that we heard that one of our ex-students and a current colleague passed away last week.
“Mr Johnson, who was Sam’s form tutor for five years, recalls him as a ‘wonderful student and young man’. As a student, Sam was unfailingly polite and kind.
“We were delighted when Sam joined our staff as an IT technician in 2014. We knew that we had appointed someone who would always be helpful and patient with colleagues less skilled than himself.
“Sam’s courage and fortitude in the face of his serious illness were truly remarkable. Even as his condition worsened, he always did everything he could to get into work and remained eager to contribute to school life in any way possible. We never heard him complain and he never failed to maintain the calm and gentle politeness that we have always seen in him.
“As Mr Johnson, his tutor from his school days remembers, ‘every day was a pleasure’ with Sam. He will be sorely missed by all of us.”
Karyn Johnston, income generation and support services director at the East Cheshire Hospice, which Sam supported, added: “Sam was an amazing and enthusiastic supporter of the hospice who even had his own fund-raising group, ‘Burt’s Barmy Army’, and we are hugely grateful for everything that he did over the years. We rely so heavily on people like Sam and his friends to help us continue our work. He will be sadly missed by us all.”