FRIENDS and family packed into an historic city centre church to say a final farewell to Sam Diatta today (September 24).
It was held in the 600-capacity St Michael le Belfrey church in the shadow of York Minster and the funeral got underway at noon.
Sam, from York, tragically died after a disturbance at Mappin and Webb jewellers in Coney Street on July 26 and the shop closed for the day today out of respect for Sam’s family.
Friends and family paid tribute to 39-year-old Sam during the service which was live streamed so that extended family and friends in Senegal could watch in the village of Oussouye, as well as from the US, Canada, China, France and the Netherlands. LIVE STREAM LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05APk4OGvl8
Sam’s friend Gary Everet was one of those who spoke at the funeral alongside his other friend Tim Gemmell, his sister, Teba, who also spoke on behalf of uncle Marcel Diatta from Senegal.
Several other family members flew from Senegal to be at the ceremony. Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central also attended.
Teba said: “My uncle’s house in Senegal was attended by 1,000 people to pay tributes to Sam.
“In 2014 he flew to villages in Senegal with a vision clinic, and sat people in front of a reading chart to see if they needed reading glasses, and helped people buy school uniforms, so people knew who he was when he died.
“We have been given over 200 cards and over 30 bouquets of flowers and we thank everyone.
“He was known as ‘smiley Sam’, he used to lift people up when they were down, he never held grudges he always wanted to reconcile.
“He was a huge football fan, and that is why the coffin has both the English and Senegalese flags."
At the funeral mourners were asked to wear smart casual, colourful clothing and donations can be made to justgiving.com/fundraising/sam-diatta to support those living with mental health issues.
Last month about 50 of Sam’s family and friends gathered on the steps of York Minster listening to music and sharing stories of Sam.
At the funeral, Sam’s friend Gary Everet was one of those who gave a speech, along with college-friend Tim Gemmell, who described him as “warm and welcoming, he was the nicest person we’d ever met, we literally loved Sam.”
He recalled a time Sam made headlines in The Press when, as a 20-year-old, he dived into the River Ouse in York to rescue a 24-year-old woman who plunged in to the River Ouse at Esplanade Court, near Marygate.
They were out for a drink in the former Bay Horse pub in Marygate - now Roots restaurant - with friends and were part of a group of people involved in the rescue.
He said at the time: “When we heard a girl had gone in the river Sam was down there like a rocket and he jumped straight in without a thought for his own safety he was just happy to have made a difference and to have saved that girl’s life.”
Sam spent the first nine years of his life living on Leeman Road and attended St Barnabas church and school.
When the family moved to Acomb, Sam attended Poppleton Road primary school for two years, before heading to Manor CE School, where he was a popular face in his year group. He belonged to Lidgett Grove church cubs and Scouts and enjoyed camping and many of those at the gathering last night remembered Sam growing up in York.
The event ended with a special ringing of the Minster bells in Sam’s memory.
As The Press reported at the time of the incident in July, North Yorkshire Police officers received several reports of a disturbance at the store and upon arrival a man was being restrained by a member of the shop staff and members of the public.
Unfortunately Sam began to have medical difficulties and was taken to York Hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead shortly after 6.40pm.
Four men, who were initially arrested in connection with the report, have been interviewed and re-released on bail pending the results of police and medical investigations.
At the end of the funeral service the cortege left for a private burial in a village on the outskirts of York.
The Press attended the funeral at the invitation of the Diatta family.
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