PALM HARBOR, Fla. — A young woman is asking people in Palm Harbor for a sentimental gesture to honor her father.
Shiyenne Muentes hopes the community will stop by and leave flowers at the memorial she created for her dad, Sam Muentes. He was killed on Jan 8. when he attempted to cross Tampa Road near U.S. 19.
Words often fall short at a time like this — they never seem to be enough.
“He was everything to me," said Shiyenne. “My dad, he was always the kind of person to do anything for everybody. He always tried his best with everything he did, and with me, he’s always shown up for me, and so I’m trying to do the most that I can for him.”
According to his family, Sam was at the gym that morning. It was still dark when he left the gym to head home. When he crossed Tampa Road, a car hit and killed him.
“I’m still in a state of shock about it. I don’t really know how to process this right now, and I can only imagine it’s going to get harder once I start accomplishing things in my life and he can’t be there," she said.
Muentes served in the Coast Guard for 20 years and had just retired.
“He was so excited and so happy to be home and this upcoming year, he was going to make it his year," Shiyenne said.
When she got the call about her dad, she rushed to the hospital.
“I’m grateful that we got to see him in the ER before he was taken away," she said.
Sam wasn’t in a crosswalk when he was hit — Shiyenne said the crosswalk down the street at U.S. 19 is unnerving. She’d like to see one farther away from busy US 19 that people who go to the gym and church in the shopping center across the street can use.
“I’m hoping for a crosswalk, with flashing lights on it so people can really see. Even if it’s dark at night, people can see," she said.
She and her family also noticed several street lights are out in the area where he crossed, and they wonder that if those lights had been on, would the driver have been able to see him better?
For now, she’s hoping the poster-sized photo of her dad reminds people he was loved as they drive by.
“I really wanted people to see him, and to recognize that this is someone who was really loved in our community who had passed away," she said. "It warms my heart to know that he was so well loved by so many people in the community, and even people who are passing by will share an interaction they may have had with my dad, and it really just warms my heart to know how much he was loved.”
Pinellas County officials said they are checking with Duke Energy on when they expect streetlights to be repaired. The county said they would review pedestrian cross demands in the area to see if changes need to be made.
In the meantime, if you'd like to donate to the family to help pay for funeral expenses, click here.
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