Friends remember Peter Sakr as kind, loved by everyone

Friends forever, from left: Peter Sakr, Josh Madrid, Preston Beverly, Rami Kateb, Blake Bouman. Photo courtesy of Rami Kateb

Residents throughout Menifee expressed shock and sorrow but also recalled wonderful memories of 18-year-old Peter Sakr, who died Tuesday in a head-on collision on Scott Road.

Sakr was killed when his vehicle ran head-on into a Ford F-350 truck traveling in the opposite direction while Sakr was attempting to pass slower traffic on Scott Road near Merritt Road at 12:12 a.m. on Tuesday. Since word of his death spread, those who knew him have spoken fondly about their friend via social media and in interviews with Menifee 24/7.

"It's such a tragic and unexpected loss of a great young man who happens to be my son's friend," said Fahra Allanson-Barney, whose son Preston Beverly visited with Sakr during Beverly's return home from college in Montana on spring break last week. "My heart and thoughts go out to all Peter's friend's, family and everyone else who was close to this young man. You will be missed by many."

Sakr lived here with his uncle and grandmother while his parents and other family members remained in his home nation of Lebanon, said Rami Kateb, a close friend and classmate since Sakr moved here a few years ago. Sakr's uncle often traveled, so Sakr spent a lot of time at the home of friends, Kateb said.

"Practically his whole family was his friends," said Kateb, who spent hours with Sakr and other friends playing their favorite sport, basketball. "He was really close to his basketball friends. He played football too, but if he had to choose one sport, it would be basketball."

Kateb, who also is Lebanese, recalled the first time he met Sakr.

"I got a call from my friend Josh (Madrid), who was at the gym," Kateb said. "He said, 'There's a guy down here who just moved to Menifee and he's from Lebanon, too. And he loves basketball.' I said, 'He sounds like an exact replica of me.' I got my dad to drive me right over to the gym to meet him. We became good friends."

Kateb said he was hanging out with Sakr on Monday night, a few hours before the accident. They went to In-N-Out and ran into several of their friends there, staying for quite a while. Then the two returned to Kateb's house, where they played video games until Kateb said he was going to bed and Sakr left. Just a few minutes later, the crash occurred.

"It was so weird," Kateb said about their last meeting. "It was almost like he was saying goodbye. He said, 'I'm so happy you're my friend.' "

Sakr graduated last year from Paloma Valley High School, where he played football and basketball. He was currently attending Mt. San Jacinto College and working at McDonald's. Those who knew him describe him as a polite and kind young man.

"I am so saddened and shocked today by the loss of a former Wildcat football player, Peter Sakr," Paloma Valley football coach Bert Esposito posted on his Facebook page. "Peter was such an awesome young man who had a bright future and it came to an end last night in a tragic mistake. My condolences and prayers go to his family and close friends, as they are suffering the most. Peter, may you rest in peace forever and may his family know that he was loved by many."

Assistant football coach David Atencio echoed Esposito's comments.

"Heartbroken right now!" Atencio wrote on Facebook. "I'll never forget that smile and the upbeat nature of such a great kid."

Kateb said he and his friends loved teasing Sakr and watching his angry reactions, which would always turn into a smile.

"He was hilarious," Kateb said about Sakr. "He's the funniest kid I ever met in my life, but he wasn't trying to be. It was funny to get him mad and watching him flip out, but it would always end up with him saying he loved us."

Kateb said he and his friends also liked to drop in on Sakr at the McDonald's on Newport Road, where he often worked the drive-up window.

"We'd pull up to the speaker and say, 'Hey, can I get a hot dog?' He loved it when his friends showed up there," Kateb said.

Steve Bowden, whose children attended Paloma Valley and who coaches a travel ball basketball team, said that even though Sakr was cut from the varsity basketball team, he loved the sport and played it constantly.

"I'm 50 and I still play basketball," Bowden said. "We would play at Powerhouse Gym. Me and him would go at it for like 40 minutes to see who has the best shot.

"I'm truly going to miss this kid. Everybody who knew Peter loved him, and he loved everybody. Even at graduation, he came up and hugged everybody. He was accepted everywhere he went."

Merna Ibrahim, owner of Merna's Cafe & Grill, said she couldn't believe it when she heard the news about Sakr, who once worked there.

"I treated him like a brother," said Ibrahim, whose family is from Egypt but has been in the U.S. for decades and previously operated Boston Billie's, which is now Merna's Cafe.

"We spoke the same language. He was such a great young man. We were all devastated when we heard."

Leah Sakr Lavendar, a cousin living in the U.S., said she is trying to be a long-distance comfort to Sakr's parents, who tried to comprehend the tragedy in Lebanon via phone calls and social media.

"As you can imagine, the situation is even more difficult for them, due to the time difference and not being physically here. Thank you for your efforts in capturing the memories people have of my cousin," she wrote on the Menifee 24/7 Facebook page.

Josh Madrid's nother, Whanda, said her whole family was very close to Sakr.

"My son is devastated, as much as our whole family," she said. "We've known this young man for several years and my son was just talking to him on Sunday. My heart is broken for him and his whole family. He was a great young man. May he rest in peace."

Sakr's family is flying to the U.S. from Lebanon for services this weekend. A vigil will be held at Wheatfield Park, 30627 Menifee Road, Friday from 5-7:45 p.m. Guests are asked to bring a canned food item for a donation in Sakr's name. On Saturday, a viewing will be held at 4 p.m. at Evans-Brown Mortuary, 27010 Encanto Drive, followed by a Rosary at 5 p.m.

Those who were associated with Sakr through Paloma Valley High continue to post messages on Facebook about him.

"My daughter has such sweet memories of this nice boy who was a friend to her in high school," wrote Pam Willis on Facebook. "So devastating. Prayers to his family and friends."

A teacher in Menifee who identified herself as Rebecca Anne on Facebook spoke about her memories of Sakr at Paloma Valley.

"I remember Peter when I used to substitute teach at Paloma," she wrote. "I didn't know him well, but in a school of over 3,000 students, Peter stood out as one of the most kind, friendly, and gentle-hearted. I am so sorry to hear about this tragedy. My condolences and prayers go out to his family."

Kenna Shernicoff is a junior at Paloma Valley High. She first met Sakr in October 2015, when she was a sophomore and he was a senior. They had been dating for a year.

"My friend and I were watching football practice," she said about that first meeting. "My friend saw him and said, 'He's pretty cute.' I called him over, pretty much just to embarrass her. He came over and we became best friends, then we started dating. We had just celebrated our one-year anniversary last month.

"Peter was compassionate about everything, and he could always make you laugh. He had so much love to give. He would drop whatever he was doing to help you out."

Shernicoff said Sakr was undecided about what he wanted to do in life, but that he "just wanted to make everyone happy." Bowden said that most of all, Sakr wanted to help others.

"He saw his friends studying to become doctors and lawyers and lots of things," Bowden said. "He asked me if I thought he could be someone to help coach a basketball team. He really wanted to do something with his life.

"When I got the news about his death, I just couldn't take it. To see him go ... Peter was a great kid."

As friends spread the word about Sakr's death through texts and social media on Tuesday, a movement soon began. Students came to Paloma Valley High on Wednesday wearing blue, Sakr's favorite color. Shernicoff said those who knew or had heard about Sakr wore blue at other schools in Southern California and even out of state.

After the 5 p.m. Rosary on Saturday, the gym at Paloma Valley will be opened up for friends to gather and exchange memories -- at the side of a basketball court, of course.

Peter Sakr (left) poses with Merna Ibrahim and staff of Merna's Cafe, where he once worked. Photo courtesy of Merna Ibrahim.

Peter Sakr and his friends pose during their graduation from Paloma Valley High School last June. Photo courtesy of Rami Kateb

Peter Sakr and his girlfriend Kenna Shernicoff at his senior prom and in his first visit to Disneyland. Photos courtesy of Kenna Shernicoff