Oak View teen dies while on ski vacation

Sam Manocchia, 18, an Agoura resident and recent graduate of Oak View High School, died in his sleep Nov. 24 while on a ski vacation with friends in Mammoth.

The preliminary cause of death was acute congestive heart failure, according to the Mono County coroner. Authorities are awaiting a final toxicology report.

Ray Ruotolo, Manocchia’s best friend, said he was awoken by Sam’s snoring at approximately 5 a.m.

Around 10 a.m., after returning from a snowboarding outing, Ruotolo noticed Manocchia was not breathing.

Mike Biglow, the owner of the cabin, performed CPR on Manocchia while the paramedics were called.

Manocchia was an active teen with a strong passion for outdoor activities, said his mother, Joyce Manocchia. She said he would often divide his free time between snowboarding, snowmobiling, skateboarding and four-wheeling in his Ford Ranger.

“Sam was very energetic,” his mother said. “Everything he did was done enthusiastically and passionately.”

A resident of the area since 1992, Manocchia attended Yerba Buena Elementary, Lindero Canyon Middle fore he graduated from Oak View High School.

Mammoth was a home away from home for Manocchia.

According to family members, Manocchia planned to move to Mammoth in January and find work while attending the local junior college.

Manocchia loved being a big brother. He would protect and take care of any one of his friends and their family, his mother said.

Services were held Dec. 4 at Westminster Presbyterian in Westlake Village. An estimated 800 residents attended the ceremony.

A number of Manocchia’s friends and family memorialized him with tattoos. Others wore remembrance dog tags with his photograph and the inscription “Sam Robert Manocchia, Forever in Our Hearts.” The dog tags were designed by Sean Garrison, one of Manocchia’s close friends.

To honor their son’s memory, the Manocchia family is adopting a stretch of road along Highway 395 and is currently organizing a scholarship for Oak View students.

People are encouraged by the family to post their thoughts and memories of Manocchia at a website created by friends and family at www.sammanocchia.com.

Manocchia’s ashes were recently spread in Mammoth on one of his favorite snowmobile trails.

Manocchia is survived by his mother, Joyce, his father, John, his brother, Vince, and his sister, Angela.