A Massachusetts father is being remembered as a hero after he died while trying to rescue his teenage sons from a powerful rip current off Martha’s Vineyard.
Kevin Foster, 55, rushed into the water July 31 after his two boys began “struggling to swim and yelling for help” about 300 feet from shore at a Long Point beach, according to the Martha’s Vineyard Times.
His sons, Kaden and Kenneth, were among four swimmers who became trapped offshore as the dangerous current pulled them away from the beach.
Rescuers were able to bring all four swimmers safely back to land, but Foster was unconscious when he was recovered from the water.
Despite “every available lifesaving measure” being attempted, the Cambridge, Mass., father could not be revived, West Tisbury Police Chief Bradley Cortez said.
Foster, who was originally from Arkansas, “peacefully fulfilled his earthly assignment,” his family wrote in an online obituary.
In a written statement to the MV Times, relatives said, “Kevin lived his life with kindness, generosity, and a deep instinct to help others.”
“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,” the family said.
“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.
