Obituary of Eric Peter Theodore Samtleben

Eric Peter Theodore Samtleben

BA Honours, MSc, PhD Candidate in Health Psychology, Trent University

In Loving Memory

It is with great pain and sorrow that we announce the unexpected loss of our wonderful, beautiful son Eric on August 8, 2024 in his 31 st year. He will be greatly missed by his mother and father, big brother Geoffrey, Oma (Anita), Uncle Steve, lovely and beautiful fiancée Julie and all of her wonderful extended family. He will also be greatly missed by his Uncle Pete, Aunt Jill and cousins Will, Tom and Jake and the rest of his extended family in Canada, Scotland and Germany. He is predeceased by his Opa (Ted), Grandpa (Peter) and Grandma (Norah) who loved him very much. He will also be missed by his best friend/dog Cleo.

Eric came into this world with a flourish on November 6, 1993. Always in a hurry to do things, he was almost born in the front seat of our car on the way to Markham Stouffville Hospital. Immediately after, in his first few years of life, he was always trying to do the things his big brother was doing but getting frustrated because of his lack of size and strength. At 22 months of age he was on the ice learning to skate. By three he was an excellent little skater and by four he was playing hockey. He was so excited when he got his first set of hockey gear that he put it all on and ran up and down the street in 30°C degree summer weather proudly showing all the neighbours his new equipment. Eric loved life as a kid. He was always looking for the next fun adventure whether it was having a sleep over with his friends, playing hockey on our local pond or playing any other game depending on the season. On our trips to Canada’s Wonderland and Disney World we could hardly keep up with him when going from ride to ride and show to show. He was so enthusiastic and loved new experiences. He was always singing and telling stories and making us laugh when he was a kid. One year at Halloween he decided he was going to be Batman. He loved his costume so much that he wore it every day for several months. People who hadn’t met him before didn’t know what he looked like for a while because the costume never came off.

Eric was an incredible athlete and was extremely intense and competitive. As a teenager and then into adulthood he played Jr. A hockey and then became a Class A Muay Thai fighter. More recently he became an ultra distance runner competing in events that were up to 100km in length. He organized a 100km charity run during COVID to raise money for the local food bank in Peterborough. Eric was not afraid of hard work. He had many different summer jobs growing up working as a landscaper, a lifeguard, a salesman and on the back of a garbage truck getting up at 5:30 every morning working up to 12+ hour shifts. He remarked to us after his first day on the back of the truck – “Boy, you have to learn quickly how to breathe through your mouth on this job in order to survive it”. He stuck it out the whole summer.

He was very intelligent. At first it didn’t register in his marks at school but as his marks improved towards the end of high school he remarked to us – “It’s amazing how much you can improve your marks by studying a little and doing your homework.” Later, Eric earned both an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Science degree in Health Psychology at Trent University specializing on the role of mental health in sports. At the time of his passing, he had started work on his PhD. He was a teaching assistant at Trent University in mathematics (which was his weakest subject when he was in high school), assistant coach of the varsity hockey team and head coach of the varsity cross country running team. He was a certified lifeguard when he was younger and later became a certified physical fitness trainer/strength coach and certified running coach. He had started a successful physical fitness training business combining the “physical” aspects of training/sports along with nutrition and the psychology of sports in his regimen of training.

We’ve heard from several people that Eric was an excellent instructor. When he was only seventeen he played Jr. A hockey in Brockville. The boys on the team were required to help coach minor hockey players. One of the dads spoke to the coaching staff and told them he had been trying for several months to coach his son to perform a certain skill. Eric had him doing it in an hour. We were told that Eric was one of the best instructors that had ever come through the program up until that time. Currently, Eric had numerous clients who spoke glowingly of his coaching/training abilities through testimonials on his website.

Once Eric had moved into his house in Peterborough it was evident that he was also very good at working with his hands. He carried out many carpentry, plumbing and electrical projects.

When he put his mind to it Eric could also be a bit devious at times. In one particularly memorable incident, as a teenager we took him to Home Depot to get some supplies for a “science project” he was doing in high school. We found out much later the supplies were the components for making a “beer funnel” which we still have in our basement to this day. By the age of seventeen he had a full beard which he took full advantage of to get into the beer store. This was not a good thing. In his teenage years his nickname at our local auto shop was “Crash” because of the numerous times we had come in to get the car repaired. At one point the owner of the shop remarked to us he had ordered enough parts for the repairs that he could build a brand new car. The joys of parenting a teenager. Thankfully, as Eric got older he became a much better driver.

A few years ago, Eric met Julie, the love of his life. Julie moved in with Eric at his house in Peterborough and they were planning to get married and start/raise a family together. She is a beautiful person and had a very positive impact on Eric’s life. We are so happy that she and her family were a part of his life. He loved going to Julie’s father’s farm working in the fields, taking care of the animals and doing any other chores that needed attention. One of their favourite activities at the farm was taking Cleo for walks in the woods and by the lake. She could run around and be free to explore there.

Julie shared this about Eric and the time they spent together:

Our love story began when we met at the local Muay Thai gym in Peterborough. At an appreciation weekend at Camp Northern Lights, I jokingly tried to push Eric into the lake. But being the all or nothin man that he was, he pushed me into the lake. From that moment, I knew that I wanted to get to know him better. We had our first date shortly after where we stayed up all night playing video games, board games and laughing. We spent hours just enjoying each other’s company and when he drove me home in the very early hours of the morning, we both didn’t want to say goodbye. From that point forward, we couldn’t get enough of one another. In our first two weeks of dating we went to Sandbanks and next we went to the CNE in Toronto. It was as if we had each found our immediate best friend and we both knew it.

The first time he said he loved me he had been drinking with friends at Head of the Trent (a yearly university event in the fall). I didn’t have a car at that time so I couldn’t pick him up from where he was so he walked all the way to my house (about 20 minutes) just so he could come see me. When I tucked him into bed with water and a puke bucket, he said, “I know it’s too soon” – we had been dating for a month –“but I fucking love you.” We got breakfast the next morning and laughed about it but I knew in my heart I felt the same. We moved in together a year later. I had spent so much time there that it felt like I already half lived at his house.

Two years into our relationship Eric proposed. It was a complete shock, but a joyous one. The ring he gave me was his great grandmother’s. He had taken the time to talk to his Oma about it and learned the love story between her and his late Opa. Eric loved love. It’s what fueled him. He was the sweetest, mos romantic, caring man and he will be so deeply missed. Some of our happiest days were us laying on the couch and playing video games together while eating junk food.

One of the sweetest things about Eric is the love that he had for his dog, Cleo. They spent three years together before I met him and although I know Eric and I were meant for each other, Eric and Cleo were soulmates. Cleo met Eric at a time when he needed a friend, he needed love, and he needed another life to care for. She taught him so much about compassion, understanding, patience and unconditional love. One of his favourite activities was watching the fight card on a Saturday night with a pizza and his dog.

The last six years I spent with him will be so deeply cherished for the rest of my life. There won’t be a day where I won’t think of him, miss him, yearn for his laughter and love. He will always be the most amazing person to me. He’s the love of my life and I hope to honour his memory in any way I can. I’ll love you forever baby, and one day, long in the future, I know we’ll meet again. Have the blankets and pillows ready, my love.

As you can see, Eric was a very special person that we all loved very much. He will be very, very deeply missed.

Online condolences may be left here for the family. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in Eric’s memory to CMHA, Peterborough (https://cmhahkpr.ca/) and/or Kid Sport Ontario (https://kidsportcanada.ca/ontario/).