“Be more Sam and a lot less world” – was the heartfelt message of a mourning mother of a Darlington teenager as hundreds of people gathered for his funeral.
Sam Coutts passed away at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College on January 13, aged just 18.
Today, mourners gathered at the Parish Church of St Mary in Gainford to pay tribute to the "mischievous" teenager who left an indelible mark on his family and friends.
His parents Matthew and Kristen spoke of the impact Sam had on all of those around him while his brothers and sister along with his stepfather and stepsiblings paid tribute to the teenager.
However, today they shared the escapades that Sam got up to in his life with the people gathered at the church in the village where he grew up.
Sam’s older brother Ben, his sister Becky and stepbrother Thomas Mochrie, shared stories of the joy of spending time with their sibling as he set his own path through life.
They all regaled attendees with tales of Sam’s unique sense of humour and mischief from staying up all night playing Xbox with his brother to taking up boxing and a much-used love of picking locks.
One of Sam’s biggest adventures was heading off across Europe by bus and train at the tender age of 16 without letting anyone know of his plans until he had set off.
He travelled to Newcastle before heading to London to get on the train to Europe where he visited countries including France and Portugal.
Sam’s mum, Kirsten said he only felt worried at one point when he was staying in a hostel in Portugal and he feared someone was going to steal his organs.
She said he headed off to a DIY store bought some Kevlar sheeting, wrapped it around himself and slept tightly in the hostel before waking with all organs still in place.
His heart broken mother signed off her eulogy for the A-level student with some pertinent advice - “Be more Sam and a lot less world”.
Read more:
- Drug driver ran away from police after he rolled his car after crashing at speed
- Drug dealers and addict taken off the streets after being locked up
- Violent thug strangled partner and threatened to 'bite her nose off'
An inquest into his death was opened at Crook Coroners' Court with mum Kirsten Coutts present on Tuesday, February 11.
Senior Coroner Jeremy Chipperfield adjourned the inquest until March 18, at 9am.
- The Northern Echo attended Sam’s funeral with the permission of his family.
Share