Samuel Ewing

Samuel F. Ewing

April 12, 1975-July 4, 2015

On July 4, 2015, Sam died tragically in a fire at his home in Echo Park, Los Angeles. After awakening his friends and making certain they could get out, he became trapped and unable to save himself. On August 14, 2015, the City of Los Angeles awarded him with beautiful Tribute for his bravery.
Sam was raised in San Francisco, his "Beautiful Lady", where he worked wildly varied jobs while pursuing his love of music and writing. In the hardcore punk scene, he was known as Sammy the Mick, and although he sang for short periods in other bands, his heart always belonged to "All Bets Off". During this period, he also created Spiderghost Pressgang through which he published and promoted the work of his friends.
After earning his B.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University, Sam moved to Echo Park in 2013 and found a welcoming, supportive community. He quickly made many close friendships. He wrote constantly. The dark side of his mind was often the muse for his writing, which was once described as "a direct, aching thing". Yet, he also had great joys that sustained and nurtured his soul.
Using the nom de plume Sammy Winston, Sam was a prolific writer whose work appeared in VICE, AMP and various other publications. But, some of his most creative writings were his short stories distributed in "zines". Several of his zines were included in the December 2015 recreation of an actual newsstand at M0MA, New York, and in the subsequent book "The Newsstand" which celebrates this independent format of publication.
Full of humor and fury Sam raced through life, pushing its limits and demanding challenges. A friend once said that "if you met Sammy, you had a story". A good man with a huge heart, he was a fiercely loving and loyal friend. That he died saving the lives of friends was not a surprise. Friends were family to him. They got him through his dark times and shared in the good ones. Their outpouring of love and grief has been overwhelming and nonstop. They are holding him close in their hearts which is where he would want to be.
"Stay Gold Ponyboy"
"Gloomer"