04/20/2026
We could all use prayers lifted up -please - for our Gordon Tower Insurance client - 9 year old son Sam killed. Boy, 9, Struck and Killed by Car After Running into Street While Playing Outside His Home
Samuel Rife of Green, Ohio, was struck and killed by a Jeep on Friday, April 17, 2026 authorities said . This family is our Gordon Tower Insurance Clients . since 2018. His parents are awesome people. I was connected w/Pastor Harlen on FB already when I realized he was also a client of ours (Harlen & I have 38 mutual fb friends, mostly all Pastors/Ministers). He is also former Pastor of our Old Brooklyn Pearl Road United Methodist Church where we were members from 1988 – 1998, for 10 years, till we moved to Lakewood. (This was prior to Pastor Harlen being assigned there) We went back to Pearl Rd United Methodist several years ago to hear him preach. We sat in a pew behind his wife & 2 kids – Marta & Sam. They also own a rental property in our West Park – it was their family home until he got reassigned to the Methodist Church in Green, OH & they moved there. He also did daily fb indepth reports on the war in Ukraine that I followed. I also had saved an article I was going to send him from New York Times magazine re: the resiliency of the Ukraine railroad employees & their incredible bravery. So so absolutely tragic his 9 year old son Sam was killed!
An Ohio community is mourning the loss of a young boy -Nine-year-old Samuel Rife was struck and killed by a Jeep on Friday, April 17, authorities said
"He could walk up to adults and kids. He could talk to anybody. He was a natural performer and storyteller," his dad shared
An Ohio community is mourning the loss of a 9-year-old boy who was struck and killed in a road accident.
The Summit County Sheriff's Office shared that its deputies and first responders from the Green Fire Department were called to Peachwood Way in the city of Green — located about 10 miles outside Akron — at around 4:30 p.m. local time on Friday, April 17, after receiving reports of a child who had been hit by a vehicle.
"A 2025 Jeep Wrangler had been traveling on Peachwood Way when a nine-year-old male ran into the street and was subsequently struck by the vehicle," the sheriff's office said. "The child was transported to Akron Children's Hospital by the Green Fire Department. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital."
The Jeep's driver was identified as an 81-year-old man, and the sheriff's office said that charges are pending following an open investigation from the Summit Metro Crash Response Team. Officials added that neither speed nor impairment appeared to be a factor in the crash.
& for all our Gordon Tower Insurance clients (including son Dillon in Bedford) who have endured massive damage from Horrible Hail storm on April 15,2026. In Michaels 38 years of being a licensed Agent we have never experienced anything like this at Gordon Tower Insurance. I've been licensed 12 years, been in insurance 15 & have never seen anything like it. The amount of claims & dollar amounts pending that we & other insurance agencies we are friends w is catastrophic. & the severity & frequency these extreme weather storms are happening is frightening. We have alot of very stressed out clients in Bedford, Bedford Hts, Maple Heights, Solon, Valley view w significant auto & home damages.
& to make matters worse, our son Garrett was accosted in Chicago Weds night 4/15/26 - & his phone, wallet & backpack all stolen. Chicago Police drove him home. Minor injuries & wounds, black eye, bruises & broken spirit. We are thankful he was not hurt alot worse or killed. Thank God!
Who knows why
Someday we all must die
We're all homeless boys and girls
And we are never heard
It's such a lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely world
People turn their heads and walk on by
Tell me, is it worth just another try?
Light of the world, shine on me Love is the answer (let it shine)
Shine on us all, set us free Love is the answer (you know the answer is love)
Tell me, are we alive, or just a dying planet?
What are the chances?
Ask the man in your heart (God) for the answers
And when you feel afraid, love one another
When you've lost your way, love one another
When you're all alone, love one another
When you're far from home, love one another
When you're down and out, love one another
All your hope's run out, love one another
When you need a friend, love one another
from Love Is the Answer - Todd Rundgren
