Aug. 22, 2021 8:55p; Updated 8-23
(WGTD)---The 40-year-old man from Missouri who drowned in Lake Michigan at Racine Sunday while helping to rescue two children has been identified as Thomas J. Walker.
The man had jumped in off of the North Pier after the children, apparently his nephews, got in trouble in rough water. The children got out okay, but Walker went under himself and didn't emerge.
The Racine County Sheriff's Dept. relayed a statement Monday from the Walker family. "He was a kind soul and an amazing uncle to his niece and nephews," the statement reads. "And how we lost him is a testament to how great an uncle and all-around guy he was. We never met a person who didn't like him. He is missed greatly."
The Sheriff's dept. boat was already in the area when the alarm came in Sunday afternoon and water patrol personnel quickly began to search. But nearly an hour lapsed before Walker was found and pulled from the water. Despite life-saving efforts at the scene, the victim was pronounced dead at the hospital.
At the time of the drowning, a beach hazards warning from the National Weather Service had been in place for waves up to five feet.
The drowning was the fourth this year in Lake Michigan along the Racine shoreline. A 10-year-old girl, a 17-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl all drowned in separate incidents in June.
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