On the evening of Saturday, April 22, 2006, Samuel Alexander Pilz (Sammy) succumbed to heart failure, brought on by an undetected congenital heart defect, in the arms of his loving parents Emmalice and Thomas Pilz in Austin, Texas. Sammy has touched many lives during the first 4 years of his glorious life. Born in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, on July 27, 2001 into a military family, he quickly won the hearts of all of his parent's friends (Bernie, Peggy, Guido and Sharon). Sammy enjoyed all that nature has to offer while growing up on the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. After being transferred to Texas, he spoke often of his cousins Zackary, Jacob, and Noah (Evans); Adam and Aiden (Wing), thousands of miles away. Thankfully he had the opportunity to roam the Texas ranges with some of them only a few weeks ago. Over the years, proud Papa (Harold Evans), Nanny (the late Anne Evans), Oma (Dorothea Pilz), Opa (Juergen Pilz), Ur-Opa (the late Fritz Pilz) and Aunt Rhonda (Angeconeb) watched Sammy develop into the perfect little man that Auntie Sherri (Evans), Uncle Ray (Evans), Auntie Chantelle (Evans) and the late Uncle Robin (Wing) simply adored. With a special place in his soul for all the animals of the world, he quickly made friends with the cows, deer, armadillos, lizards, frogs, fish, and even scorpions that are so plentiful in Texas. Having captured the hearts of his teachers (Emily Lund, Ms. Karen, Alba, Lawrie, Alice, Jill, Lauren, Mr. Ralph and Delisa) during his first year of school at the unique Judson Montessori School in San Antonio, Texas, the faculty was gracious enough to establish The "Sammy" Pilz JMS Memorial Fund to benefit future students at JMS. His love for the outdoors continued to expand as he mastered his first swim strokes very recently, and became an expert junior ATV rider. The perfect host for his little guests at garden parties, he quickly became a respected member of the rat pack (Austin, Tyler, Max, Nicholas (x2), Ben, Brandon, Yazan, Patrick, Derian, and Viraj). Always on the move, Sammy excelled in all kinds of sports, ranging from tennis, soccer, baseball, basketball and tubing, spending the rest of his time tinkering, being creative, read to, and a big fan of Darth Vader, Monster Trucks, and BYOTs. Friends of Sammy (and his family) may attend at the Arthur Funeral Home & Cremation Centre from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. this Friday, April 28, 2006. Funeral service will be held in the chapel on Saturday, April 29, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Hoag officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations to The "Sammy" Pilz JMS Memorial Fund would be appreciated by the family.
