Samuel Corey Stein, 20

Woodmere resident Samuel Corey “Sammy” Stein whose life was marked by challenges died on March 27. He was 20.

Born three and half months early and weighing one pound, 12 ounces, Stein endured disabilities that made him 100 percent dependent, but his parents, Dr. Gregg and Dena Stein, along with his siblings, Zach and Josh, were determined to help Stein live what his mother called a “meaningful and relevant life.”

Dena said that her two sons watched over their brother in the middle, helped him with daily chores such as getting dressed and “rough housed with him as only brothers do.” Zach and Josh described Stein as a “blessing in disguise.”

Despite Stein’s inabilities, not one family member or caregiver considered him a burden, Dena said. “Sammy was a person who brought his family and the community closer together,” she said. “His was a life of purpose that no other life could have replaced. He was a vibrant part of his family, his school and the people who cared for him each day.”

Due to his medical problems, Stein endured much pain and difficulty, but he was described as happy and had a smile that was considered infectious, his mother said. “He lit up a room with his sparkling eyes and ear to ear grin, and he made certain that everyone knew he was present,” Dena said. “Everyone will miss Sammy’s smile.”

Communication was difficult, however Stein communicated in his own way by listening to voices, studying faces and responding with his eyes. A method that touched many, his mother said.

In addition to his family, everyone he met will remember Stein. “Without a voice and without taking a step, Sammy changed people’s lives and opened their hearts,” Dena said. “The world lost a very special and unique boy a few days ago, but his family and friends will forever carry out his mission that every life has vale. Samuel Corey Stein … he will be sorely missed.”