It’s taken me a while to write this because writing this would mean accepting that it’s real, and that Sam’s not here anymore. I still can’t / don’t want to believe it.

I first met Sam in June 2014, when I came for an interview at the place he worked. The first interaction I had with him was him making me a cold coffee. I didn’t like the coffee but I drank it out of politeness. I remember thinking he could’ve heated the milk. I got the job and Sam immediately showed me the ropes and became my work buddy. We started spending a lot of our working days together. Seeing it was a small company, we always went for lunch together.

We stalked Andy Murray and various other Cobham footballer celebs houses together during working hours and called it, ‘work’/ research of luxurious property.  We also took the liberty of having 3 minute plank competitions in the office, going shoe shopping (Sam picked out a lovely mint coloured pair of shoes for me which to this day I receive compliments for. We also did our food shopping during our ‘lunch breaks’ and of course organised company lunches every so often which consisted of just him, Stef and I for ‘important business discussions.’ We organised all company events together including Goodwood and all had a lot of funny office ‘bants’. Oh how we belly laughed.  

Sam and I developed a sister / brother kind of relationship, where he’d tell me to see him as a big brother which I said was ridiculous because he was 2 years younger than me and it should be the other way around.  He would always reply, ‘Age is just a number C’. We had such laughs together at work and we always kept in contact, grabbing a quick drink near work when we could, chat during Chelsea games and discuss the characters from ‘Suits’ and his uncanny resemblance to Mike in so many ways. I’d always tell him when I was watching him (Mike) on TV and I promised I’d get him a ticket to the next home game.

Sam was a cheeky chap, who was the first and only person who referred to me as lady chap. He taught me so much. Putting the word ‘Dog’ after the first initial of your first name: (S Dog / C Dog), which I do now without even thinking about, making the continuous use of, ‘yes mate’ somehow sound funny, that football chant he loved to sing and to customise it to every day subjects, and how not to worry about things. To this day, when I find I’m stressing at work or in life, I always think of Sam and how he kept a cool head and told me to calm the f*ck down. He helped me write my first corporate email, which I took away with me and still use. He would always answer all my silly questions until I didn’t have m(any) left and always warmly welcomed them.

He always spoke so fondly of his family too, and clearly showed his love for them all including his nephews which I always admired. 

He was a wonderful gentleman and a kind, funny friend. A great friend and I really miss him. The absence of his fashion advice will always be felt, the watching of ‘Suits’ and my visits to Liverpool Street are no longer the same and will forever feel lonely without him. 

Rest easy S Dog, Sam. Thoughts, all the love and prayers to your mum, dad, sister and nephews. You are already so sorely missed. Gone too soon. I will always remember you...

C Dog, Claudia
xxxxx