Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
OGDEN — A family is heartbroken and in shock, as they mourn the loss of their 14-year-old son whose life was tragically cut short after falling through the ice at a nearby pond.
Sam Creel and a friend were at Glasmann Pond on Monday afternoon when both fell through the ice. His friend managed to survive after bystanders pulled him out of the water. Creel was later pulled from the water by emergency workers and airlifted to Primary Children's Hospital where he passed away.
"I lost my buddy," his stepfather Nathan Gidley said. "He touched so many lives."
According to the family, Creel didn't know how to swim.
"One of the (bystanders) got out there and got (his friend) and tried to get Sam, but Sam couldn't swim," Gidley said.
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Sam was autistic and had great goals and loved people, according to his family.
"He was so nice and friendly to everybody," his mom Liana Larsen said.
"He wanted to help people. He wanted to be a cop. He loved buses and trains," Gidley said.
"He had autism but with his autism, he had so many good quirks. He was so funny, he knew so much about school buses," his older brother Landon Creel said.
His family says they don't believe Sam Creel realized just how dangerous it was to walk on the ice.
He was so nice and friendly to everybody.
–Liana Larsen
"He had a hard time sensing danger. He always had since he was a baby," said his mom.
A Spotfund account* has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
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Photos
![Sam Creel is shown in this undated photo. He died Monday after falling through the ice at Glasmann Pond in Ogden. - Family photo](https://img.ksl.com/slc/3038/303882/30388257.jpeg?filter=ksl/gallery)
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![Family is mourning the death of Sam Creel, shown in this undated photo, who died after he and a friend fell through the ice at Glasmann Pond in Ogden on Monday afternoon. - Family photo](https://img.ksl.com/slc/3038/303882/30388223.jpeg?filter=ksl/gallery)
![Sam Creel is shown in this undated photo. He died Monday after falling through the ice at Glasmann Pond in Ogden. - Family photo](https://img.ksl.com/slc/3038/303882/30388257.jpeg?filter=ksl/gallery)
![Family is mourning the death of Sam Creel, shown in this undated photo, who died after he and a friend fell through the ice at Glasmann Pond in Ogden on Monday afternoon. - Family photo](https://img.ksl.com/slc/3038/303882/30388223.jpeg?filter=ksl/gallery)