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Obituary of Eric Peter Theodore Samtleben
Eric Peter Theodore Samtleben
BA Honours, MSc, PhD Candidate in Health Psychology, Trent University
In Loving Memory
It is with great pain and sorrow that we announce the unexpected loss of our wonderful, beautiful son Eric
on August 8, 2024 in his 31 st year. He will be greatly missed by his mother and father, big brother
Geoffrey, Oma (Anita), Uncle Steve, lovely and beautiful fiancée Julie and all of her wonderful extended
family. He will also be greatly missed by his Uncle Pete, Aunt Jill and cousins Will, Tom and Jake and the
rest of his extended family in Canada, Scotland and Germany. He is predeceased by his Opa (Ted),
Grandpa (Peter) and Grandma (Norah) who loved him very much. He will also be missed by his best
friend/dog Cleo.
Eric came into this world with a flourish on November 6, 1993. Always in a hurry to do things, he was
almost born in the front seat of our car on the way to Markham Stouffville Hospital. Immediately after, in
his first few years of life, he was always trying to do the things his big brother was doing but getting
frustrated because of his lack of size and strength. At 22 months of age he was on the ice learning to
skate. By three he was an excellent little skater and by four he was playing hockey. He was so excited
when he got his first set of hockey gear that he put it all on and ran up and down the street in 30°C
degree summer weather proudly showing all the neighbours his new equipment. Eric loved life as a kid.
He was always looking for the next fun adventure whether it was having a sleep over with his friends,
playing hockey on our local pond or playing any other game depending on the season. On our trips to
Canada’s Wonderland and Disney World we could hardly keep up with him when going from ride to ride
and show to show. He was so enthusiastic and loved new experiences. He was always singing and
telling stories and making us laugh when he was a kid. One year at Halloween he decided he was going
to be Batman. He loved his costume so much that he wore it every day for several months. People who
hadn’t met him before didn’t know what he looked like for a while because the costume never came off.
Eric was an incredible athlete and was extremely intense and competitive. As a teenager and then into
adulthood he played Jr. A hockey and then became a Class A Muay Thai fighter. More recently he
became an ultra distance runner competing in events that were up to 100km in length. He organized a
100km charity run during COVID to raise money for the local food bank in Peterborough. Eric was not
afraid of hard work. He had many different summer jobs growing up working as a landscaper, a lifeguard,
a salesman and on the back of a garbage truck getting up at 5:30 every morning working up to 12+ hour
shifts. He remarked to us after his first day on the back of the truck – “Boy, you have to learn quickly how
to breathe through your mouth on this job in order to survive it”. He stuck it out the whole summer.
He was very intelligent. At first it didn’t register in his marks at school but as his marks improved towards
the end of high school he remarked to us – “It’s amazing how much you can improve your marks by studying a little and doing your homework.” Later, Eric earned both an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree
and a Master of Science degree in Health Psychology at Trent University specializing on the role of
mental health in sports. At the time of his passing, he had started work on his PhD. He was a teaching
assistant at Trent University in mathematics (which was his weakest subject when he was in high school),
assistant coach of the varsity hockey team and head coach of the varsity cross country running team. He
was a certified lifeguard when he was younger and later became a certified physical fitness
trainer/strength coach and certified running coach. He had started a successful physical fitness training
business combining the “physical” aspects of training/sports along with nutrition and the psychology of
sports in his regimen of training.
We’ve heard from several people that Eric was an excellent instructor. When he was only seventeen he
played Jr. A hockey in Brockville. The boys on the team were required to help coach minor hockey
players. One of the dads spoke to the coaching staff and told them he had been trying for several months
to coach his son to perform a certain skill. Eric had him doing it in an hour. We were told that Eric was
one of the best instructors that had ever come through the program up until that time. Currently, Eric had
numerous clients who spoke glowingly of his coaching/training abilities through testimonials on his
website.
Once Eric had moved into his house in Peterborough it was evident that he was also very good at
working with his hands. He carried out many carpentry, plumbing and electrical projects.
When he put his mind to it Eric could also be a bit devious at times. In one particularly memorable
incident, as a teenager we took him to Home Depot to get some supplies for a “science project” he was
doing in high school. We found out much later the supplies were the components for making a “beer
funnel” which we still have in our basement to this day. By the age of seventeen he had a full beard
which he took full advantage of to get into the beer store. This was not a good thing. In his teenage years
his nickname at our local auto shop was “Crash” because of the numerous times we had come in to get
the car repaired. At one point the owner of the shop remarked to us he had ordered enough parts for the
repairs that he could build a brand new car. The joys of parenting a teenager. Thankfully, as Eric got
older he became a much better driver.
A few years ago, Eric met Julie, the love of his life. Julie moved in with Eric at his house in Peterborough
and they were planning to get married and start/raise a family together. She is a beautiful person and
had a very positive impact on Eric’s life. We are so happy that she and her family were a part of his life.
He loved going to Julie’s father’s farm working in the fields, taking care of the animals and doing any
other chores that needed attention. One of their favourite activities at the farm was taking Cleo for walks
in the woods and by the lake. She could run around and be free to explore there.
Julie shared this about Eric and the time they spent together:
Our love story began when we met at the local Muay Thai gym in Peterborough. At an appreciation
weekend at Camp Northern Lights, I jokingly tried to push Eric into the lake. But being the all or nothing
man that he was, he pushed me into the lake. From that moment, I knew that I wanted to get to know him
better. We had our first date shortly after where we stayed up all night playing video games, board games
and laughing. We spent hours just enjoying each other’s company and when he drove me home in the
very early hours of the morning, we both didn’t want to say goodbye. From that point forward, we couldn’t
get enough of one another. In our first two weeks of dating we went to Sandbanks and next we went to
the CNE in Toronto. It was as if we had each found our immediate best friend and we both knew it.
The first time he said he loved me he had been drinking with friends at Head of the Trent (a yearly
university event in the fall). I didn’t have a car at that time so I couldn’t pick him up from where he was so
he walked all the way to my house (about 20 minutes) just so he could come see me. When I tucked him
into bed with water and a puke bucket, he said, “I know it’s too soon” – we had been dating for a month –
“but I fucking love you.” We got breakfast the next morning and laughed about it but I knew in my heart I
felt the same. We moved in together a year later. I had spent so much time there that it felt like I already
half lived at his house.
Two years into our relationship Eric proposed. It was a complete shock, but a joyous one. The ring he
gave me was his great grandmother’s. He had taken the time to talk to his Oma about it and learned the
love story between her and his late Opa. Eric loved love. It’s what fueled him. He was the sweetest, most
romantic, caring man and he will be so deeply missed. Some of our happiest days were us laying on the
couch and playing video games together while eating junk food.
One of the sweetest things about Eric is the love that he had for his dog, Cleo. They spent three years
together before I met him and although I know Eric and I were meant for each other, Eric and Cleo were
soulmates. Cleo met Eric at a time when he needed a friend, he needed love, and he needed another life
to care for. She taught him so much about compassion, understanding, patience and unconditional love.
One of his favourite activities was watching the fight card on a Saturday night with a pizza and his dog.
The last six years I spent with him will be so deeply cherished for the rest of my life. There won’t be a day
where I won’t think of him, miss him, yearn for his laughter and love. He will always be the most amazing
person to me. He’s the love of my life and I hope to honour his memory in any way I can. I’ll love you
forever baby, and one day, long in the future, I know we’ll meet again. Have the blankets and pillows
ready, my love.
As you can see, Eric was a very special person that we all loved very much. He will be very, very deeply
missed.
Online condolences may be left here for the family. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in Eric’s
memory to CMHA, Peterborough (cmhahkpr.ca/) and/or Kid Sport Ontario
(kidsportcanada.ca/ontario/).
A celebration of Eric’s life will be held at a later date. The details will be announced on this website.
1993 2024
Death notice for the town of: Markham, Province: Ontario
death notice Eric
Peter Theodore
Samtleben 1993 2024
obituaries notice Eric
Peter Theodore
Samtleben 1993 2024
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Eric
Peter Theodore
Samtleben 1993 2024 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.