EASTHAMPTON – The family and friends of 25-year-old Samuel “Sammy” Garcia Jr., are mourning the loss of a man that they say was the glue that held everyone together, who loved everyone and never failed to make people laugh, smile, or dance.

Samuel, a 2014 graduate of Easthampton High School and lifelong resident, died on Dec. 16 from injuries he sustained in a motor vehicle accident on Southampton Road in Holyoke.

“I think everyone who crossed paths with him in life knew that he was the light of the room. The light of everyone’s life,” said his younger sister, Samantha Garcia.

Being four years apart, Samantha’s favorite thing to do with her big brother was laugh and dance. “And I will say, that I laughed and smiled every single time I was with him. Every single day. We probably danced or I watched him dance once a day too,” she said.

“I am going to miss his laugh, his smile, his jokes. I am going to miss watching him dance and sing. He was a complete goof and never cared what others thought of him. I am going to miss him in my life. I am going to miss his presence. I am going to miss having my older brother to be there for me whenever times were rough,” Samantha shared.

Samantha told Reminder Publishing that he truly wanted his family to be happy. After their older sister, Alexis “Lexie” Elizabeth Garcia, died in 2007 at age 15, Samantha said Samuel lifted their souls. “He rebuilt us while rebuilding himself. He was just truly this one of a kind, special man.”

Samantha said Samuel was a role model and leader in the community. She shared that her big brother was kind, caring, had a loving soul, and anytime anyone needed him, he was there for them because he never wanted people to be alone.

A GoFundMe set up for his family has surpassed its $10,000 goal and raised over $31,000 as of Dec. 23.

Jessica Harper, who created the GoFundMe account, said she and Samuel were in school together since the second grade and were close in high school. “He lived a couple of streets down from me, and when I went to college and moved after graduating, we always kept in touch.”

In high school, he played basketball and football. According to his obituary, he was named Most Valuable Player in both sports his senior year. Samantha shared that growing up, Samuel was passionate about sports. “He literally set the example for so many athletes in Easthampton Public Schools, he was a role model. He put so much effort into everything he did on and off the court and field. He was a true leader.”

Also during high school, he was voted for too many superlatives and they had to make a limit for him.

He continued his education at Elms College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing and graduated magna cum laude. This past year, he had been working at Penske truck rental in Chicopee as an assistant rental manager.

Penske Assistant Rental Manager Jacob Runyon, who was friends with Samuel both at work and outside of work, said Samuel was one of those people that could brighten up your day by just being at work.

He said Samuel brought that energy, happiness, and pride with him every day at work. He also shared that he has never seen Samuel without a smile or not laughing because that is the kind of person he was.

“Always very thorough, always came to work level headed ready to get things done, ready to work as hard as possible. He was definitely one of the best people I have ever seen at this company,” Runyon said.

Samuel also worked at Rumbleseat Bar and Grille in Chicopee for a few years. The owner of the restaurant, Bill Stetson, said he was the best employee he has ever hired. He explained Samuel was always smiling and was a loyal, good worker and friend.

“I have a teenage son and if my son grows up to be half the guy Sam was, I will feel like I did a good job,” Stetson said.

Samuel is also survived by his girlfriend of three years, Annie Torres.

“She was the angel sent from Lexie that we all needed in our lives. Annie is someone so special to Sam and to my entire family. She has been there for us every step of the way and I cannot thank her enough. He loved Annie and her family so much, all he talked about was Annie and Penske,” Samantha shared.

Torres said she and the Garcia family will be each other’s rock through the situation. “They are my family. They are always going to be my family, ya know? I am going to be over there every day if I do not have work. I just love them all so much,” she said.

Torres met Samuel at Elms College and said when they met there was an instant connection. “We got each other, we were always thinking the same things, he was my best friend, he was that person I would call every day on my way home from work, that person that you just want to come home to, he was my home.”

Torres shared that their favorite things to do were relax in his basement, drink a beer, and watch the sitcoms “Rick and Morty” and “Family Guy.” The couple also enjoyed going out to eat so much that he nicknamed themselves “the tubbies.” Torres shared that he would say, “the tubbies are going out to get more food” as they left the house. A popular restaurant for them was Riff’s Joint. During quarantine, they struggled because dining in was suspended and picked up the habit of cooking together, she said. Samuel got involved when they cooked and helped her a lot.

A favorite memory for Torres was the dance parties they would have together. She recalled that a few weeks ago, the two were in his basement and their potential wedding song, “Better Together” by Luke Combs came on and he insisted that she got up and dance with him.

“It was two o’clock in the morning and he just rips me off the couch and we start dancing around the basement, having the best time, laughing,” Torres said.

She added songs continued to play and they found themselves dancing for almost an hour.

Samuel’s affection is something Torres said she will miss the most. “The last day I texted him and said ‘I cannot wait to come over to you for all the hugs, snuggs, and kisses’ that is something I would say and he was excited to see me that night too.”

Samantha said she believes her brother would want for her right now is to finish her last semester at George Washington University and go from there. “He was always so proud of me. For my parents, Renee and Samuel Garcia, I think he would want them to know that he is safe and with Lexie, grandma, grandpa, and Tommy, our cat. He would want them to carry on and be happy because he is always going to be here with us all.”

“I think the last thing is that, if I have to find any ounce of comfort in this horrible nightmare, it is that he is flying high with our sister Lexie right now. They loved each other so much,” said Samantha.