Samuel Miles Monastra

Samuel Miles Monastra, 26, originally from Lewis Center, Ohio who had moved to Longmont, Colorado tragically lost his life Saturday September 5th, 2026 following an ATV accident. He leaves behind his mother and father, Joseph and Michelle, brother and sister in law, Nate and Lauren, sister and brother in law, Sara and Cody Baker, nieces Zoey, Presley and nephew Crew and love of his life, Caitlin Petersen. He also left behind his grandfather, Norman Gerdeman, grandmother Joan Monastra and multiple aunts, uncles and cousins. He was preceded in death by his grandmother, Rosie Gerdeman and Grandfather Robert Monastra.

Born September 27th, 1999, Sam captured the hearts of everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him. With his curly hair and infectious spirit, he enjoyed making people laugh and tried to encourage people not to take themselves so seriously.

Sam didn’t talk much about his religious beliefs but he believed in Jesus. He was living life with intention and loving others well. When you spoke with Sam you realized he was present in every conversation and everything he did. He may not have talked the talk when it came to his beliefs but he was definitely walking the walk. He was encouraging others to follow their dreams and leading by example.

Sam attended Olentangy schools from K-12, graduating from Olentangy HS in 2018. He ran cross country in middle school and played lacrosse throughout high school. He cherished the friendships he made along the way. He moved to Longmont, Co in 2020 in the hopes of fulfilling a dream to open a sober Kava bar. Sam had no fear of failure. He approached his dreams as if they were inevitable. At the age of 21 he opened Colorado Mountain Kava. This bar became the perfect vessel for him to do his work of welcoming, encouraging and connecting others, loving others well. He would want his legacy to live on. A legacy of quiet acts of kindness, listening and caring for others, accepting others as they are, renewing their own sense of worth. He would also want us to not take life too seriously, live a little, stop worrying about what others think, dream big, work hard, bend the rules a little, laugh a little…laugh a lot.

Sam will be sorely missed by so many. We can honor him by letting our inner “Sam” out once in a while, live life to the fullest, quirks and all!

Sam’s celebration of life will be held November 8th at 1:00 PM at

Ethos & Co., located at 6576 Africa Rd., Westerville, Ohio 43082.

In lieu of flowers, if you feel so inclined, donations are being collected at the

GoFundMe.com/Joe Camarena’s lovely daughter, Sophia Joe

GoFundMe.com/Joe’s family needs us after this devastating accident

(Joe passed away in the same accident and leaves behind a 3 year old daughter)