3 years after his death, Tyre Sampson’s family opens a snack shop in his name
‘I thought it would be cool to have Tyre’s memory to live in Madison,’ his family tells First Alert 4
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Three years after a tragedy struck a local family when Tyre Sampson was killed on a spring break vacation, the wounds are still fresh.
But while his family is still mourning, they are also choosing to use their pain to create positive change in their loved one’s name.
“My gentle giant, that’s what I called him,” said Wendy Wooten, Tyre’s Stepmother.
Hours away from the day they will never forget, Tyre’s family is ing him. On March 24, 2022, the 14-year-old fell to his death on an Orlando, Florida amusement park ride during his spring break.
“He impacted our life, I love him and I miss him so much. He was so easy to love,” said Wooten.
Wooten stands in front of Tyre’s Snack Shop, which opens officially to the public on Tuesday.
“I thought it would be cool to have Tyre’s memory to live in Madison, where he used to roam these streets and have fun at,” said Tyre’s Father, Yarnell Sampson.
Sampson says the snack shop is only a small portion of his plan to give back to the Madison, Illinois community. Sampson has pledged that 10% of the snack shop’s profits will go back to the neighborhood in various ways.
“When I was a kid I didn’t want to go to sleep hungry and I don’t want no kid in our neighborhood to feel that pain ever again if I can help it,” said Sampson.
“To have this legacy, this is where he’s from and where he loved to be, I think he would be amazed by it,” said Wooten.
The snack shop will have free food and giveaways during the grand opening week and is located at 422 Madison Avenue.
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