Friday, 20th November 2009 - 07:27CET
Sunday's tragedy in Sliema
"As soon as he stepped over that wall, he went home to Jesus," - Samuel's father
Whenever Samuel Attard Montalto, 16, got home from school he would often sprint into the kitchen, throw his arms around his mother and dance or playfully wrestle his father.
"He was a gentle, loving boy, a real people person. He had a tremendous amount of life about him. It's going to be difficult to learn to live without him," his parents, Linda and Nicholas, say as they hold hands tightly.
Their son died on Sunday night when he fell seven storeys into a shaft in Sliema. He was playing hide-and-seek on the roof of a block of apartments, where his friends live, when he jumped over a low wall without realising it was a shaft.
His parents and three sisters are dealing with this sudden loss by holding on to their faith and believing that Samuel moved on to eternal life.
"His friends, who were there the night he fell, said that as soon as he went over the wall they heard an ‘ah' sound, like a sudden inhalation. It was not like the sound you would expect from a person falling to his death," says his father, a leader in an Evangelical Pentecostal Church.
"I believe that was when the Lord took his spirit. It was not at the bottom but at the top of that shaft. As soon as he stepped over that wall, he went home to Jesus," his father says.
His wife agrees and adds that their youngest daughter, Abigail, 14, who was with Samuel at the time of the accident, confirmed this.
"She woke up the night after and said the ‘ah' sound was because Samuel was going up and not down. His spirit was flying. He always loved jumping over things, climbing and being in the air," his mother says with conviction.
On Saturday night, Samuel and Abigail slept over at the Sliema apartment of their two friends. Abigail says the following morning they had a big breakfast complete with pancakes, which her brother ate loads of.
After that, their friends' father, a pastor, had a Bible Study about being prepared to meet the challenges of life, before they went off to a barbeque.
When they got back to the Sliema apartment, Samuel, Abigail and four of their friends went on the roof to play. Samuel then fell to his death into the shaft.
Abigail and her friend called for help but by the time the ambulance arrived he was already dead.
On being informed about the accident, Mr Attard Montalto contacted his wife who was in England with their other two daughters - Rebekah, 22, and Hannah, 20 - who live there.
Mrs Attard Montalto had left a few weeks earlier to help Hannah with the preparations for her wedding. They all flew back the day after the accident.
Samuel's mother had last seen him on October 27. The day before he fell she sent him a message on Facebook asking him whether he was eating well and telling him she could not wait to see him.
Three days after the accident, his mother checked her mail and saw his reply: "He said daddy was feeding him well and he really missed me. I was so glad to see he had managed to see my message and knew I loved and missed him," she says.
"I can't understand why this happened," says Mr Attard Montalto, his voice trembling as he adds that his faith is his only solace.
Samuel was close to God; he enjoyed reading his Bible before school and had recently helped his friends get to know Him. Three of his close friends had even started attending Church with him.
"He loved Jesus and held strong convictions about morality, which he shared with his friends.
"Samuel knew eternal life is in Jesus and as a young man he was introducing people to Him. We believe strongly that when he went over that wall he went home... Were it not for this conviction, I would be a broken, collapsed man," his father confesses.
Sitting in their living room in Żurrieq, the family rekindle moments of Samuel's life through memories.
"As a family, we spent lots of quality time together, so we've got loads of incredible memories of him as our son," Mr Attard Montalto says.
"He was just full of energy and fun. When we look back at his life we see a lot of security and happiness," his mother says softly.
His sister, Hannah, joins in: "He just had to have his arms around us whether it was a headlock or a hug. And, as he grew, he started lifting us. He was six feet tall."
With a smile on her face, Abigail adds: "He loved his six-pack and facial hair and wearing hoodies."
The sisters giggle as they think back to their childhood days when he used their dolls as target practice.
"He even loved his bunny rabbit, Nero. He loved watching television while Nero nestled in his sleeve with his nose sticking out," Hannah smiles.
"Samuel loved life and had once told us that if he died he would not want people to wear black. He'd want a colourful party," Rebekah says.
For this reason, his family ensured that people wore colourful outfits for the funeral yesterday, which was a celebration of Samuel's life.
"The tragedy happened at a time when he was truly just being a lad... playing hide and seek. He was being himself... someone full of life. That's how we want to remember him," his father says.
More stories from The Times in the News section.
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Comments
Nick and Linda thanks for what you did for us during this past year and thanks for being such an inspiration for me to follow Christ. I feel truly blessed to have known you.-Joanne
I have really good memories of Sam as a young boy at the school we both attended about 7/8 years ago. I'll never forget his big heart, his affection and his humility. I was very fond of him. I saw a picture of him in the Times and boy, has he grown up! I have no doubt he continued to grow in spirit and was a real inspiration to his generation. Nick and Linda you raised Sam to be a decent, God respecting person. I salute you.
Rebekah, thank you for your words of faith and encouragement. Praying for you and the family. May your faith and love increase always. Blessings for your Mom and Dad especially at this time, and in the days to come.
This article helped me to grieve in my own way as I was not able to attend the funeral. Thank you.
Amy (kirsty's friend)
@Francis Saliba
If you read my comment carefully you will realize that it was actually addressed to you and to Jane Camilleri and not to the bereaving family.
If you also realize you are also accusing me of being uncivilized and unrespectful to the bereaved family and to fellow christians, but I didn't even mention the bereaved family or fellow christians alike. I wonder who is the one spouting cheap commercial advertisements!
@M.Caruana
I agree with you that Faith is blind and that is why I can't exactly be positive about it, however, faith in your wife and children is definitely much more tangeable than religious faith. It can also be tested proactively in the sense that, if something wrong happens than even the faith you have in them will be challenged, this is not applicable to religious faith.
I agree that the 2000years evidence vanished because most probably it simply never existed in the first place, I don't agree that the evidence is lacking there is actually no evidence at all.
my deepest sympathy goes to Samuel's Family and friends , May God be with you all .
I am probably the least of the lot capabile of answering your points, being a person who marks low on the Religion scale. Therefore will not go into a public debate, but...
Firstly, faith sometimes has to be blind. Like faith in my wife and children that they will uphold our family name and respect me as I should do to them. There's no guarantee or evidence to that, just blind faith.
Also, if you did paranormal things today (apart from preaching love and forgivness), I am sure that in 2000 years time most of the evidence of what you would've done would have vanished. Future people will ask the same questions and make the same points you are doing now...how can we not be Agnostic if evidence is lacking.
We're lucky enough to have had people 80 or so years after Christ to have put pen to paper about Christ. Same with your paranormal deeds of today, all that remains is mostly what people write about you.
I firmly believe that religions, nowadays, are also (not all of course) an important element of peace, love, respect. If anything they act as re-enforcers of natural laws of respect.
I think that it is most insensitive and churlish to intrude into an exchange of sympathies between Christians exchanging condolences for a tragic bereavement in order to spout a cheap commercial advertisement for your lack of religious belief. You should show more civility and more respect for the bereaved family and fellow Christians expressing sympathy.
I really don't know what the fuss about faith is all about, of course I agree with most people here, faith is powerful but also pretty dangerous too and I will tell you why :-
Let’s first define “Faith” in the context I am using it. I mean “religious Faith.” Faith in the face of no evidence. And worse yet, Faith in opposition to existing evidence. This kind of Faith began with religion and actually leads to atrocities.
If friendship is trusting another enough to allow yourself to be vulnerable, and someone breaks that trust, the friendship is usually over, faith and all. The same cannot be said of most religious Faith.
While religion calls for people to do terrible things, Faith allows them to actually do it. To be clear, I am not claiming that religion only calls people to do terrible things. And I am not claiming that people can only do terrible things in the name of religion. Religion does not have a monopoly on wrongdoing and more than it has a monopoly on goodness.
However, religion is the only place where irrational beliefs are not only allowed, but protected from criticism
DO YOU HAVE THIS SAME ASSURANCE? When you die - where will you go? I know, my brother knew, my family knows. DO YOU?
God Bless and thank you for your prayers,
Rebekah
Rest in peace, my student and friend.
My most sincere condolences to all your family and friends.
You have publically said on One TV that you are an Agnostic, or a non believer unless you see evidence. That is your right. However, it does not give you right to intrude in a column with flourishing with sympathy comments and make a scene just because you do not agree with what Ms. Haber stated. Do that in a different article but not in this one - how insensitive can you get ?
May the Lord Jesus bless you all. I admire your Faith. Keep it and treasure it always. I too believe that Samuel is with our Lord.
Ms Jane Camilleri Haber's comment was in perfect harmony with the religious sentiments expressed by the bereaved family and the comfort they obtain from it. . Your comment is nothing of the sort.
such a lively young man with so much to live for.....!
May God grant solace and compassion to his doting parents.
Rest in Heaven dear Samuel.
Did you even READ what I wrote?
Is nothing sacred to you that you do not resist the temptation to intrude callously in a family's bereavement and the expressions of sympathy from concerned and sympathetic fellow Christians?
Family Attard Montalto - be strong and hold fast to your believes and all that brings you near to your loved ones. values should always be respected -
Faith does not change the outlook of the situation. This is a tragedy and a terrible loss, there is no other way to see it. I am pretty sure the parents would have rather prefered samuel to stay with them alive rather then go to 'Jesus'.
I passed through a similar loss of a very precious grandson and I can understand your sorrow. You have the right Chrsitian attitude and I am certain that it will bring you the same consolation it brought to me. I will pray for you and others similarly afflicted.