Somehow amid their devastation, family and friends of Sam Landsberger laid the esteemed sports journalist to rest on Monday in a beautiful and moving funeral at Temple Beth Israel Synagogue. Hundreds of mourners filled the venue for the 35-year-old, who died last Tuesday after being hit by a truck in Richmond while on the phone to his mother Annie . Sam Landsberger’s mother Annie and father Jake paid a wonderful tribute to their son.
Credit: Justin McManus “I delivered Sam, I nurtured Sam, and I’m so grateful that I was with Sam right to the end when he passed away ...
so we are together forever,” she said. There were his colleagues from the Herald Sun , as well as sports journalists from all outlets and generations to honour his life and hear his father Dr Jake Landsberger tell those present how their son “lit up our entire lives”. “Approximately 22 years ago, our families stood in this same spot, in this great big hall, celebrating Sam’s bar mitzvah,” he said.
“Now we find ourselves in this same room in utter and complete devastation.” That devastation over what was aptly described as “an unfathomable loss” hung over the room, but lifted temporarily as those nearest to Landsberger brought pathos and humour to reflect on the man known as kind and cheeky in equal doses. Sam Landsberger died last week at the age of 35.
There was the nickname “Cheezels”, bestowed on him by Western Bulldogs champion Scott West when Sam was 10 after his father – th.