Obituary for Sam

This is the obituary I posted on Facebook on March 16, 2026.

Our beautiful blue-eyed boy, Samuel William Robinson, left this world suddenly on March 6, 2026 in Pattaya, Thailand. Born on December 14th in Calgary 1991, he was 34 years old. As his mother, I kept him here as long as I could, but always stubborn and determined to do things on his own terms, Sam had a plan.

Sam was a wild child, always “running toward danger” from an early age–in sports, at work, to save a friend’s life, or just for a dopamine fix. He grew up in Golden, BC and Calgary, until we moved to North Vancouver and then Squamish. He attended many schools, Edelweiss, APES, Lady Grey, Capilano Elementary, Carson Graham and Squamish Secondary. His claim to fame was that he got through high school without ever reading a book.

Sam accomplished so much in his short life. He was a gifted athlete right from a young age, excelling at many sports, most for a short intense time: soccer, rugby, football, snowboarding, climbing, wrestling, MMA fighting, golfing, motorbiking. In spite of his antipathy for school, what he accomplished was no less than brilliant. He got his helicopter licence, paramedic training, bought his first condo in his early 20s (no mean feat in Vancouver’s market), excelled at renovating all his condos, and was a highly respected and loved member of the film industry, working both as a rigging grip, stunt rigger, and stuntman over the years.

He leaves behind so many people who loved and admired him: countless friends including his best friend, Matt; cousins Josh, Zac, Ollie, Jamie, David, Jennifer (Sam), Aidan (Dianne), Karina, and Diana; his aunts and uncles: Susan (Mark), Ruth, Johanne, Becky (Richard), Linda (Ray), Eric, Neil, Wayne (Fanfan), Warren; his step-brother, Aidan (Janine & kids), his sister, Jenna; his stepfather, Dan; father Ward (Heidi), and, me, his mother, Jan. He was predeceased by his grandparents, his step-grandparents, his cousin, William, and his beloved pup, Neptune.

Sam went through some dark, turbulent years during and after the pandemic, and after losing Neptune, but he loved and lived deeply and intensely, and though he was unable to respond to many people in his life toward the end, was a loyal and kind friend, brother, cousin, nephew, and forever our beloved son.

We are holding a gathering in memory of Sam on April 12th, 2026 at the Brackendale Art Gallery in Squamish, BC from 4pm to 7pm. More details to follow.