Many of you who have been on INGO for a while may remember a thread I posted back in October of 2017:
https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/break-room/444405-tragedy-hit-close-home-today.html
In summary, my closest friend's son lived through the nightmare of being there when his girlfriend committed suicide. I asked for your prayers back then and I thank all of you who expressed your sympathy, prayers, and kindness.
Tony went through a rough time after that, as any of us would. But we knew he would eventually get past it. He's dated a couple of girls since then. I've been meaning to update the old thread with a happy ending. Tony and his latest girl were planning to get married and were in the process of picking out wedding rings the last couple of weeks. I was thinking that I would wait until after the wedding and then come back and update that old thread with some happy news.
This past Tuesday, June 6, I received a call from Tony's dad, who had just got off the phone with Tony's brother Ryan. Tony and his fiance Kristi were out fishing on Bass Lake in Starke County on her pontoon boat. They had anchored the boat on the sand bar known to the locals as "The Point". It was a windy day, and as they were wading in the shallow water the wind dislodged the anchor and the boat rapidly started drifting out into deeper water. Kristi just reacted and took off swimming, and as she relayed to us, Tony was yelling at her to wait or stop, but she kept going. After that Tony followed, probably out of concern for her more than the boat. There's a rapid drop off, and thick tall weeds just under the surface, the water is about 12 feet deep at that point. With the wind and the choppy water both of them got into trouble, and now it was a matter of either making it to the boat or not making it. Tony didn't make it, he went under. Kristi got to the boat and turned it around to get Tony but as she approached he went under again, this time he didn't resurface. The water is so murky in that lake you can only see less than 2 feet below the surface. Kristi frantically tried to find him to no avail, then she called 911. That was Tuesday afternoon.
The Starke County Sheriff's Dept, the DNR, and the volunteer firemen all responded. They searched until dark Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I joined in the search on Thursday, with Tony's dad, his brother Ryan, cousins, and Kristi. I was out in the pontoon boat with the brightest spotlights we could find until midnight, early Friday morning, then we quit and decided to come back in the morning. I was praying the entire time that we wouldn't find him, I just didn't want anyone in his family to see Tony's body after more than 2 days underwater.
The DNR divers found Tony on Friday morning. I've known Tony since birth, Tony and his brothers are the closest thing I have in this world to sons. I am just in a state of disbelief right now, really hasn't fully hit me yet. The parents, brothers and family are devastated. Needless to say we are all heartbroken.
Why am I sharing this here? Well, Tony would have been right at home here on INGO. Tony was an avid gun owner, fisherman, deer hunter, and a huge goose hunter, I think that was his favorite. He took some monster bucks in his lifetime, not to mention one state record bass back when he was only 13 or so. His living room wall would make any deer hunter drool, his dad taught him well.
Thanks for letting me vent. Please pray for the family, and me too.
https://www.thepilotnews.com/news/m...cle_4210b802-a741-11ea-9f8d-730a832cc7c7.html
https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/break-room/444405-tragedy-hit-close-home-today.html
In summary, my closest friend's son lived through the nightmare of being there when his girlfriend committed suicide. I asked for your prayers back then and I thank all of you who expressed your sympathy, prayers, and kindness.
Tony went through a rough time after that, as any of us would. But we knew he would eventually get past it. He's dated a couple of girls since then. I've been meaning to update the old thread with a happy ending. Tony and his latest girl were planning to get married and were in the process of picking out wedding rings the last couple of weeks. I was thinking that I would wait until after the wedding and then come back and update that old thread with some happy news.
This past Tuesday, June 6, I received a call from Tony's dad, who had just got off the phone with Tony's brother Ryan. Tony and his fiance Kristi were out fishing on Bass Lake in Starke County on her pontoon boat. They had anchored the boat on the sand bar known to the locals as "The Point". It was a windy day, and as they were wading in the shallow water the wind dislodged the anchor and the boat rapidly started drifting out into deeper water. Kristi just reacted and took off swimming, and as she relayed to us, Tony was yelling at her to wait or stop, but she kept going. After that Tony followed, probably out of concern for her more than the boat. There's a rapid drop off, and thick tall weeds just under the surface, the water is about 12 feet deep at that point. With the wind and the choppy water both of them got into trouble, and now it was a matter of either making it to the boat or not making it. Tony didn't make it, he went under. Kristi got to the boat and turned it around to get Tony but as she approached he went under again, this time he didn't resurface. The water is so murky in that lake you can only see less than 2 feet below the surface. Kristi frantically tried to find him to no avail, then she called 911. That was Tuesday afternoon.
The Starke County Sheriff's Dept, the DNR, and the volunteer firemen all responded. They searched until dark Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. I joined in the search on Thursday, with Tony's dad, his brother Ryan, cousins, and Kristi. I was out in the pontoon boat with the brightest spotlights we could find until midnight, early Friday morning, then we quit and decided to come back in the morning. I was praying the entire time that we wouldn't find him, I just didn't want anyone in his family to see Tony's body after more than 2 days underwater.
The DNR divers found Tony on Friday morning. I've known Tony since birth, Tony and his brothers are the closest thing I have in this world to sons. I am just in a state of disbelief right now, really hasn't fully hit me yet. The parents, brothers and family are devastated. Needless to say we are all heartbroken.
Why am I sharing this here? Well, Tony would have been right at home here on INGO. Tony was an avid gun owner, fisherman, deer hunter, and a huge goose hunter, I think that was his favorite. He took some monster bucks in his lifetime, not to mention one state record bass back when he was only 13 or so. His living room wall would make any deer hunter drool, his dad taught him well.
Thanks for letting me vent. Please pray for the family, and me too.
https://www.thepilotnews.com/news/m...cle_4210b802-a741-11ea-9f8d-730a832cc7c7.html
