…left his body 4th April 2014.
Anand Samo (Brian Samo Ross) died just before his 65th birthday, after a rather sudden but intense illness, whose source was never medically identified. Born in Toronto, Canada he lived in Honolulu, Hawaii with his wife Mary.
His memorial service was held this past Saturday, 26th April in Calvary by the Sea (Lutheran), a gorgeous venue shaped in the round like a Shakespearean theatre, but with open glass doors looking out onto the ocean. The service included Christian and Jewish traditions.
Tao writes:
I flew over from the Big Island to attend the funeral service and Durga and Nijta, two of Samo’s former wives, flew over from Maui. Sunshine and Surta also came. Surta, his best friend, gave a very beautiful and heartfelt eulogy; I saw Sangeet (the flute player) and Pratibha in the gathering and there may have been many more sannyasins. Afterwards at Sunny and Surta’s home, Durga, Nijta and I had another (sannyas) celebration.
We all camped out at Sunny and Surta’s house overnight. It was the most beautiful evening; we shared wedding photos (from his three most recent weddings), stories, lots of humour, tears, laughter and love pouring throughout; and a wonderful dinner where we were joined by two other dear close friends of his, Susan and Garrett. I know Samo would have been delighted and, I think, surprised by the crowd of people who came to his memorial and the depth of love that we all feel for him.
Samo was a dear, kind, gentle soul and the best friend one could ever have. He was my belly-laugh friend and he is very deeply embedded in my heart. He was a funny guy, dry humor and very witty.
I met Samo in 1980 when I was centre leader of Satdharm Rajneesh Meditation Centre in Toronto and gave him his mala in 1981 on my 40th birthday. I had the pleasure of marrying him and his wife Mary in 1999 in Honolulu.
Samo was a published author; his book and audio book Talking To God Without Calling Long Distance are on Amazon and also available on Kindle. He was a writer, working in advertising for many years and, more recently, he was also an intuitive counsellor with clientele in Hawaii and Japan. He was a great ‘title man’ and came up with the name for my business, Weddings A La Heart.
Samo made a conscious choice to leave his body and move to spirit, and out of his compassion and joy visited several of his friends the day after he passed, including me. And then again the next day on Sunday. When I was walking on the walking path at Old Airport I heard footsteps behind me coming on my left; I waited for the person to pass me and waited and waited and finally turned round to see what was happening and – there was nobody there. The footsteps stopped.
I said, “Samo is that you? Wow you’re a quick study! You only died Friday and here you are already physically manifesting!” I felt his strength and his joy. “Even though we know you’re around, Samo, boy oh boy, are you ever missed. We were such great kvetchers together and never judged each other for it. Who am I going to kvetch with now?”
Tributes
Samo began as a Toronto sannyasin and then spent quite a long time in Portland before moving to Hawaii. Those who remember him often speak of his gentle kindness and his impish humor.
Thank you for being such a loyal friend and confidant to Surta all these years, Samo! We shall both miss your presence and your insights. Never one to feel at home in this realm, may your return to the Source be the magical mystery tour you had always thought it would be!
Sunshine
Beloved Samo, you will be missed by more than you can guess. You brought us joy, humor, kindness and more. Fly high, dear one!
Roshani
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