Obituary of Samuel Graham Boyce

Talented, charismatic, fun-loving, unique, spontaneous, smart, compassionate, and so loved by family and friends; these are some examples of words we have heard describe our dear Sam. Our hearts are broken that we announce the sudden passing of Sam in his home on April 5th, 2021. Sam will be lovingly remembered by the love of his life, his fiancée, Amelia Harik, and by his loving parents, Evelyn and Barry Boyce. Also missed by his caring grandmother, Doris Boyce, whom he adored. His Godparents, Penney Romanyshyn and Ben Schmidt, his family of aunts, uncles, cousins, Amelia’s family Brian, Diane, and Meaghan, and his beloved friends, each and every one of them were so special to him. Sam loved all his family and friends, but he really created a special bond with a select few. “The Boys”, Garry, Evan and Dave were his all-the-time people and the memories of the adventures these boys had throughout the years will be cherished. Sam also developed a special closeness with two of his cousins, Sarah and Breanne that was theirs alone. Sam was predeceased by his Opa and Oma, Otto and Naemi Schmidt, where Sam and Sarah spent their early childhood. Also Grandpa, James Boyce, and his Uncles Grant and Robin, who he loved spending time with. Sam loved Amelia to the ends of the earth and they both were hopeful to finally tie the knot in October, 2021. For their engagement, Sam planned an elaborate scavenger hunt for Amelia, starting at the location of their first kiss, to the location of their first date, including many other places they enjoyed spending time together throughout the years they shared. The final stop was her family homestead, where he had asked Garry to play the drums, and hired a fiddler to accompany him singing “Found” by Dan Davidson. You can view his proposal on his YouTube Channel, “@Ebaum744”. Sam grew up in East St. Paul, Manitoba and was involved with Beavers, Cubs, Indoor Soccer and 12 years of baseball coached by his Dad, Barry. His enjoyment of the game led him to umpiring for a few years. Sam loved to be outdoors and growing up outside the city, he found many opportunities for adventures with his friends at the pits, riding bikes, sailing boats, bonfires in the backyard (if you know, you know) and curling at clubs throughout the city. Sam started curling at the “little rocks” level and continued for years after with his friends, Justin and Riley. If you ever had the chance to see him sweep, you too would have loved to watch him. For a small guy, he would always give ‘er and get ‘er done. Sam attended the French Immersion program at Ecole Sun Valley School, John Henderson Junior High School and Miles MacDonell Collegiate. To continue his education, Sam attended Red River College and graduated with honours as a Red Seal Electrician. He was presently working at Advance Crane and loved the diversity of the job. Although, his favorite job would always be with Acon up in Baffin Island, where he had the opportunity to engage with the community in French and ultimately met another close friend, John. Being away from home was hard for Sam, but with supportive friends and a tight knit community, Sam was looking forward to the next time he could return. Sam was a man who wore many hats. Sam played seven instruments and always enjoyed singing and playing for family and friends. At age fourteen he started participating with MS Biking to the Viking with Alison and Clayton. In 2008 he ran the half marathon with his mother, and when she was struggling, he responded “Dig Deep Mom, You can do it”. Sam was such a beacon in so many walks of life, he easily inspired people with his charisma and managed to call together a group of 20 plus people at Country Fest to participate in daily yoga sessions. Everyone loved to be entertained by Sammy. His stellar ability to spontaneously imitate comedy skits can be caught in his YouTube videos that he put so many hours into creating for all. Sam loved outdoor adventures including hiking, camping and fishing, especially with Garry catching the masters. When he was barely 18, he bought an 80’s camper which was seen yearly at Country Fest and was finally retired at the Henry Heritage Homestead near Treherne, Manitoba in 2016. The Homestead is a private campground that Amelia invited Sam to for years. It is an acreage of family land that was converted into a campground for the descendants of the family who originally settled there. Sam genuinely enjoyed his time out there, growing close to the family and spending weekends relaxing or coming up with fixes for things around the park. Sam assisted with electrical issues, fixing quads and building/moving decks. Of course, there is a YouTube video of one specific deck move Sam did for Amelia’s parents that he was immensely proud of. Sam enjoyed tinkering with toys and fixing things. Right from the start, engines were his niche. At first, he was fascinated with trains, but when he got his hands on his first car he was mesmerized. At 15, Sam purchased a 1962 Ford Galaxie, which he named after his Uncle Robin, and quickly became his baby. Sam wanted the Galaxie to be restored to its former glory, which meant repairs were slow. The boys will ensure the Galaxie sees the road again in his honour. Throughout the years he filled his time with many other vehicles, truck adventures, and tows provided by Justin and Mom’s CAA. He loved the big loud rumble of his 7.3L diesel engine, but really hated the effect it had on the environment, so he rigged it up to run on vegetable oil! Sam was a character who could never say “No” to anyone, even if that meant he would have to get up in the middle of the night to help them out. He strongly believed in equality for all and would not tolerate less. Sam was open with the mental health struggles he experienced and when others needed someone, he could always make time for a check-in. The many testimonials on his Facebook page affirm this, and have touched us all. We would like to thank everyone for all their support. It has been overwhelming to see the community Sam built throughout his life come together to bring us comfort, food and solace. We deeply appreciate the donations in Sam’s memory that have been made to the Laurel Centre. It is a place where the “Men’s Resource” program held meetings that Sam openly attended and from which he generously shared his learned guidance. If you have not yet, but would like to donate to this mental health facility, you may do so at the Laurel Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. To forever remember Sam, we have honoured his request of having his remains planted in the roots of a Tamarack tree. A private ceremony was held on Friday, May 21st, 2021 at Swystun Heritage Park to lay him to rest. Adjacent to the tree, a bench in Sam’s honour overlooks the water facing east, to see the rising sun. We invite you all to visit Sam when you need a friend. Please continue to share your memories and stories on his Facebook page, and/or the Alterna memorial page as this brings us comfort to see how many he touched. “I’m already there. Don’t make a sound, I’m the moonlight shining down. I’m the whisper in the wind, and I’ll be there until the end. Can you feel the love we share? Oh, I’m already there”