Just hours before he died, Stephen Spencer, 25, wrote down three life goals on a yellow, flower-shaped piece of paper at his church group.

He wrote that he wanted to be a good father and husband, he wanted to have a ministry that encouraged people to follow God and he wanted to make awesome music.

His handwriting was messy; it carried the carefree ease of a young man.

In the early hours of Saturday, Oct. 4, the youth pastor was electrocuted while exploring the rooftop of an abandoned building with friends in Etobicoke.

He died instantly, with little more than burn marks on the palms of his hands.

His mother, Rosanne Spencer, said it may sound strange to some that her son died on top of an abandoned building in the middle of the night.

But it’s not strange to her.

“If you knew my Stephen, life was an adventure, and this was just another one of his adventures,” she told the Star.

Toronto Police Det. Gary Burke said it appeared Spencer was thrill-seeking while exploring the abandoned factory building, which is soon to be demolished.

It is unknown how he was killed by the live wire.

Toronto Hydro Corporation inspected the site and found everything was to code, Burke said.

Spencer, the eldest of four children, worked as a youth pastor at the Islington Baptist Church, where he ran church groups on Wednesday and Friday nights, teaching young people about Christian faith and music.

On Friday, Oct. 3, Spencer asked the children in his church group to write down their life goals. He joined in on the activity, and now the small, yellow, flower-shaped piece of paper is cherished by his mother.

“When I saw it, I started crying because it was just so Stephen. It could have been typed on a typewriter and I would have known it was him.”

The church and Christian rock music were the most important things in Spencer’s life — “it was where his heartbeat was,” she said.

He played guitar, drums, keyboard, bass, saxophone and other instruments.

“That’s how he reached out to all these kids,” she said. “Those kids hung around him almost 24 hours a day. He changed their lives, he was giving them direction and he kept them out of trouble.”

Spencer’s funeral was held Saturday at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Etobicoke.

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Knowing that Spencer wasn’t afraid to die now comes as a huge comfort to his family. When his younger sister would question him about it, Spencer would often tell her that death did not frighten him.

“I don’t know how people without faith can cope with this. If you don’t have faith, I don’t know what you would do,” Rosanne Spencer said.

“He was not just anybody. He was a man who touched so many lives and was loved greatly by many, many people.”

Islington Baptist Church pastor Todd Riley said Spencer was well loved by everyone, young and old.

“He was a tremendous influence in raising up a number of young people and helping them develop or foster their own musical gifts. Sadly, his life was cut short, and he is dearly missed by one and all.”