(above) Sam Failla (Photo from Linked In).
The Chatham Community tragically lost 24-year-old ski instructor, Samuel John Failla. He died during a ski accident on February 6, 2018 in East Vail, Colorado. The funeral was held at Corpus Christi Church, Chatham, New Jersey, on February 15.
In lieu of flowers, the family asked to donate to the GoFundMe page to assist the Failla family with the final resting costs and the creation of a foundation for under privileged kids to play the sports they love. In two days, $55,690 of the $50,000 goal was raised by over 600 people.
Sam worked as a snowboard instructor at a ski resort in Vail. This was his second season; and he was beloved by the kids in the ski school, as well as his coworkers.
According to The Denver Post, Sam was separated from a friend while skiing. A mountain rescue team found the friend and it was assumed that Sam had returned home safely. However, Sam was still missing. Then rescuers from the Vail Mountain Rescue Group and Vail ski instructors soon found his body.
According to Vail Daily, Eagle County, Colorado coroner Kara Bettis said the cause of Sam Failla’s death would be determined following an autopsy. As of the writing of this article, the cause of death was still unknown.
Sam was a captain of the Chatham Cougar football team, graduating Chatham High School in 2012. He continued his education at the University of South Carolina where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2016. He was a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.
On his Linked-In page, Sam said he was “a hardworking and dedicated international relations and affairs major with a business administration minor and a focus on economics. I have a passion for business and also the environment. The hope is to combine the two and forge a successful career, whether it be creating awareness for the environmental problems around us or helping create new programs that educate people to the dangers we face.”
He said he “worked in a team-oriented environment to instruct and assess ski ability of clients ranging in age from 2 to 75.”
Sam earned his Professional Ski Instructors of America Association (PSIAA) Level 1 Certification.
In addition to skiing and snowboarding, he enjoyed travel and children. During his high school and college years, he babysat neighborhood children. And his travels took him to Singapore, Thailand, and Greece.
Sam is survived by his parents, John and Whitney Failla; and two sisters, Alexandria and Ellie Failla; all of Chatham, New Jersey.
The GoFundMe page is located at: gofundme.com/db6kw-bringsamhome
