Boating accident kills man spreading father's ashes
Robert Louis was on a mission to honor his father on Lake Superior
Tragedy struck a Michigan family twice this month, after a man was thrown to his death Sunday from a boat while spreading his late father's ashes in Lake Superior.
Robert Louis from Lake Orion, Mich. was on a boat with six other people to honor his father's final wishes when the boat overturned around 6 p.m., police said.
A witness on shore told police he saw the boat take a sharp turn, spilling those aboard into Lake Superior.
"When troopers arrived they found that six boaters had been rescued by a pontoon boat that had been in the area and were currently being treated for hypothermia," Michigan State Police Trooper Alan Park told WULT-TV. "The seventh passenger was not recovered immediately."
The 59-year-old's body was recovered Monday, FOX2 Detroit reported.
A neighbor of Lewis' said the local musician planned the trip to honor his father.
"He had told us that he was happy to go up and spread his ashes and follow his final wishes," Virginia Walleman told FOX2.
Friends and family are now honoring Lewis with a concert at a local American Legion Friday, and have set up a GoFundMe page to benefit the family.
"We're a very close knit community," Walleman said. "Everyone steps up. When someone needs, they come together."
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
