Student recalled as friendly, humorous
By Harold Lee
April 10, 2005 9:00 p.m.
To friends and family, third-year English student, Samuel Parke
Massey, was a constant source of humor and compassion.
“He was somebody who didn’t judge others by their
appearance,” said Matthew Ontell, one of Massey’s Sigma
Phi Epsilon fraternity brothers. “He was caring and
respectful towards everyone.”
The 21-year-old Massey died March 31 at Mercy Hospital in San
Diego from injuries sustained in a car accident outside of
Holtville in Imperial Valley. Alfonso, Massey’s father, was
also killed in the crash.
Born Jan. 25, 1984 in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, Massey
was raised in Holtville. Active in the school band and the football
team, Massey played the trumpet and baritone and was a lineman on
the football team at Holtville High School.
For Massey, life was all about other people. “He was
always really friendly,” said Jason Rubin, another one of
Massey’s fraternity brothers. “He never shut himself in
his room.”
This love of other people also influenced Massey’s
personal politics. “He was always concerned of other
people’s welfare,” Rubin said. “He always kept
them in mind when he formed his opinions.”
Massey was deeply political and loved Michael Moore’s
films and books written by Al Franken and Greg Palast, said his
mother, Susan. Politics often merged with humor for Massey, and he
used his wit in political debates. “He was very humorous with
a lot of sardonic humor,” his mother said. “He had to
find something funny about everything.”
Though he had strong opinions, Massey kept his discussions
playful and lighthearted. “He wasn’t stuck in his ways
and was willing to listen to others,” Ontell said. “But
he was never bashful and never very timid when it came to talking
about what he was thinking.”
An avid baseball fan, Massey loved the San Diego Padres. In
addition to his involvement with his fraternity, he also worked in
the Cooperage.
Massey is survived by his sister Anna, half-sister Clara Massey
and half-brothers Daniel and Alan Massey. Services were held April
6 in Brawley, which is in the Imperial Valley.
