Sam Bradley Sheehan

Sam Bradley Sheehan (July 18, 1999 - June 27, 2018) Sam Bradley Sheehan, son of Amy Lynn Smith and Michael Andrew Sheehan, brother of Lily Inez Sheehan, died peacefully Wednesday evening, June 27, 2018, surrounded by family and friends at Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore, MD. He was 18 years old. Sam was born on Sunday, July 18, 1999 at Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital in Baltimore. Sam and his family moved to their home in the Radnor-Winston neighborhood of Baltimore when Sam was only a year old. He bestowed his special qualities of friendliness and personability upon his community, earning his title “Mayor of Radnor-Winston” at the age of 3 years old. Sam became a fixture in the neighborhood while taking frequent skateboard, scooter and bike rides saying hello to neighbors and welcoming conversation and laughter. Sam attended Roland Park Elementary/Middle school from Kindergarten through 8th grade and graduated a City Knight in the Class of 2017 from Baltimore City College High School. During his school years Sam played cello in the orchestra, sang in the choir, played baseball and excelled at debate. He swam for the Meadowbrook Tomatoes swim team, but soon discovered that his real passion did not lie in competing but in the act of swimming and just being in the water. Annual family vacations to the Atlantic ocean, Keuka lake in upstate NY, frequent visits to local rivers, streams, quarries and pools with friends were truly a highlight of Sam’s life. Although Sam loved being outdoors, he was truly a city kid. He thrived on the history, vitality and diversity of Baltimore. He looked forward to trips to NYC several times a year to visit family. As he and his sister grew older, they were in their element exploring the city and taking in the excitement and culture. Traveling with his high school French club, Sam spent a week in Paris in the spring of 2015. There, he practiced the language he studied and learned throughout his high school years and absorbed the wonder and beauty of Paris and surrounding countryside. After high school Sam turned his love of cars into jobs, first at Len Stoler Hyundai and then as Inventory Manager at Antwerpen Nissan, both in Owings Mills. Sam loved music, eating good food, dancing, watching funny movies and TV shows, among so many other things. He read from a very early age, devouring every Calvin and Hobbes cartoon he saw, and tearing through the entire works of Sherman Alexie by the end of middle school. His penchant for brilliant, powerful writing was manifest very early, and he did not shy away from voicing his opinions and his beliefs which were rooted in compassion, empathy and love for the world’s forgotten, downtrodden, overlooked and mistreated. Sam could befriend anyone with his open mind and open heart. Sam would also want to be remembered for his love of music, especially music which rose from the streets of his beloved Baltimore. Sam believed that we were all on this earth for a short time, unfortunately his time was far too short and his departure way too sudden. Grieving family and friends have been offering solace with words, none more appropriate than the following: “His big heart, his big laugh, his super-sized spirit, are all indelibly a part of me. Partly because he was always 200% present in any situation, but mostly because he was such a good soul, and so completely and uniquely himself.” Sam leaves behind his mother, father, sister, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, countless friends and his dog Bennie. He will be with us always. To contribute to Sam Sheehan’s memorial fund, please make contribution payable to Sam Sheehan Relief Fund, in care of Amy Smith.