A hero dad sacrificed himself to save his teenage sons when they were ripped out to sea by a violent riptide off Martha’s Vineyard.
Kevin Foster, 55, died rushing to the aid of his two boys, who were “struggling to swim and yelling for help” after they got into difficulty 300 feet off a Long Point beach on July 31, the Martha’s Vineyard Times reported.
Foster’s sons Kaden and Kenneth were among four swimmers stranded in the water.
All four were helped to safety, but the hero dad was unconscious when he was brought back to land.
Tragically the dad from Cambridge, Mass. couldn’t be saved even though “every available lifesaving measure was taken,” West Tisbury Police Chief Bradley Cortez said.
The dad, an Arkansas native, “peacefully fulfilled his earthly assignment,” his family announced in an online obit.
“Kevin lived his life with kindness, generosity, and a deep instinct to help others,” his family also told the MV Times in a written statement.
“He lost his life in a place that meant so much to him, surrounded by people he loved, on an Island that has given our family some of our most treasured memories over many years.”
“While his departure leaves an immeasurable void in the hearts of those who loved him, his legacy of faith, excellence, love, service, and kindness will continue to live on through the countless lives he touched,” they said.
Several people were pulled from the water on the day the dad died, the Vineyard Gazette reported.
“I stopped going in midway through the day beyond 10 feet in because it was getting more and more violent,” witness Kelly McNeil said.
Witnesses were left horrified when paramedics tried to revive the unconscious dad.
“When he finally arrived at the beach, I actually went over to where their stuff was and began packing it up as I couldn’t bear to watch them try to revive him,” beachgoer Lisa Conroy Murphy said.
Read the full article here