“Death is always, under all circumstances, a tragedy, for if it is not then it means that life has become one.”

— Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States in March of 1900.

While every death is a tragedy, some are more tragic than others.

My great aunt Mary Martino, a lifelong Kenoshan, died last week at the age of 90. She will be dearly missed, especially by her husband Palmer Martino.

But my great aunt had a full and wonderful life and her health had been deteriorating for some time. She is survived by four children, who in turn gave her and Palmer five grandchildren.

A quintessential matriarch, her impact will continue to be felt in the family for generations.

If someone were to tell me right now that I can live in a relatively healthy state until I’m 90 and watch my family grow, I’d take it in a heartbeat.

However, we know it doesn’t work that way.

As much as we try to supress thoughts of death, the realization that tomorrow is guaranteed to no one can punch us in the gut when we least expect it.

A little more than a year ago, Sam Schissel was being mobbed by his Bradford teammates after finishing off Kimberly for the WIAA Division-1 State Baseball Championship.

On Saturday, Schissel died one day shy of his 19th birthday when his heart succumbed to a virus.

As a parent of two wonderful children, my heart aches for what the DeRose and Schissel families are going through.

No parent should have to witness their child’s death. As Sam’s father Jim Schissel said on Saturday, “it’s not the natural order of things.”

Sam Schissel’s exploits on the diamond for Bradford were historic.

He went 8-0 with a 1.88 ERA during his senior season and pitched two complete games in the span of four days during the Red Devils’ title run — the school’s first since 1963.

His impact away from competition has come to the forefront through strories from family and friends since his passing.

He touched a lot of people with many citing his magnetic personality and charisma.

Family and friends will gather today for the visitation at the Bradford High School Auditorium from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. with a service immediately following.

My hope is that while mourning, those in attendance today are able to find some time to celebrate Sam’s life.

Because, despite his all-too-brief time on Earth, there appears to be a whole lot to celebrate.

*Book it (18-12): The Milwaukee Bucks made good on my prediction by selecting point guard Brandon Jennings with their first selection in last week’s NBA draft.

This week, the N.L. Central leading Milwaukee Brewers will do no better than a split of a four-game weekend series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Mike Larsen is a sports writer for the News. E-mail him at mlarsen@kenoshanews.com