Samantha Silverman

1990 - 2015

Samantha Silverman
May 21, 1990 - January 24, 2015
Tucson, Arizona
Samantha Allyn Silverman, 24, born May 21st, 1990, passed away on January 24th in Scottsdale, Arizona. Samantha was a passenger in a tragic car accident that claimed her life. She was born in Chicago, Illinois to Alan Talbert Silverman and Joanna Geldner Silverman. She is survived by her parents, her older brother Michael Edwin Silverman, and many other relatives and friends who loved her so very much. She was a beautiful person that lived to help other people and was a source of joy, and laughter, and love to all who knew her. Everyone who knew her misses her deeply and her brother (the author) wishes she was by his side to help him through this time – she was always the compassionate one that knew what to do in times of family hardship.
Samantha lived in Tucson, Arizona but was visiting the Scottsdale area to help a friend bury his father. In a cruel twist of fate that is beyond this author's comprehension, this trip turned tragic. In Tucson, Samantha was a pillar of the community. After graduating from the University of Arizona with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Psychology, Samantha bought and proceeded to run a CrossFit and weightlifting gym called CrossFit Works. Samantha believed strongly in the power of fitness to better people's lives and was an avid CrossFit competitor and USAW weightlifting competitor. Countless people have witnessed her competitive drive first hand, as well as the kind and patient way she coached her athletes. She once wrote in a thesis that it was not the most athletic clients that gave her the most joy to coach, but those who were most in need of exercise and the ameliorative effects it has in one's life. Her most recent competitions were the OC Throwdown CrossFit competition earlier in January, and the USAW American Open. She battled valiantly in both, but was never satisfied with herself, always striving to do better. She always requited herself with honor in the way she battled in and outside of the gym, and she made her family so proud in all that she did.
From an early age, Samantha fought a learning disability that made it difficult for her to progress at the same rate as other students. She never let this hurdle get her down though; Samantha was always dedicated to succeeding in spite of any road blocks in front of her. She started school in Palm Springs, California at the Palm Valley School. When she was ten years old, her family moved to Carmel, California where she attended the Stevenson School for lower school, middle school and her first two years of high school. For her last two years of high school she attended the Landmark School in Salem, Massachusetts. All along the way she touched the lives of teachers, fellow students, and everyone else she came into contact with. Her family always marveled at her ability to make friends quickly and keep them for life. Throughout her childhood, she was a passionate horseback rider, field hockey player, violist, and photographer.
After her first two years of college, her brother introduced her to the sport of CrossFit. Once she got a taste of it, she never looked back. CrossFit, Olympic weightlifting, and helping others became her all-consuming passions. Charitable fundraisers at her gym became a norm and she grew into a talented business owner and coach. She overcame many obstacles, and was in the process of overcoming even more when the accident occurred.
Samantha hoped to one day make the Olympics in the sport of weightlifting and attend the CrossFit Games as a competitor. She was making great progress and on the path to both goals. It is with the most profound sadness and grief that her loved ones now face the reality of those goals being cut short. However, her commitment to excellence and helping others will be carried on by all who knew her. Her spirit will live on in all who loved her. The amount of love that people had for Samantha can only be rivaled by the grief and pain felt in losing her. Her absence is a giant hole in the hearts and souls of her family and friends.
This is the obituary of a beautiful little sister, a daughter, a niece, a cousin, a friend, a roommate, a coach, an athlete, a lover, a fighter, a poet, and a truly great, warm, and loving person. No amount of words can sufficiently give a summation to her life, but this is a grieving brother's best try.
There will be a nonreligious Celebration of Life at the Erdman Chapel at Stevenson School (the "Church in the Forest) in Pebble Beach, California this Saturday, January 31st at 1pm. A memorial workout for all her fitness friends will be held 7:30 Saturday morning at CrossFit Monterey.