'A great guy': Loved ones gather for memorial honoring 61-year-old EMT who died from near-drowning in Lake Michigan
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Dozens of loved ones, friends and coworkers gathered inside of the South Shore Yacht Club on Sunday night, to share stories and honor John Swanson, 61, who passed late Friday night in a near-drowning incident in Lake Michigan.
Police said they received a 911 call around 10:40 p.m. with the caller reporting they heard a splash and saw a hat floating in the water.
A dive team and a drone helped recover the person overboard about 30 minutes after the call, and while paramedics helped at the scene, he ultimately passed later at a local hospital.
Officials confirmed Swanson had fallen off of his boat which was docked at the marina.
Bell Ambulance identified the man as Swanson in a Facebook post the next day, noting he had worked for the company since 2007.
Supervisor Greg Rudoll told CBS 58's Ellie Nakamoto-White that he had met Swanson in 2017 and would remember his smile and his ability to be an encouraging yet challenging mentor.
"He was a great guy to talk to, especially if you were down, he’d bring you up," Rudoll said. "He was just kind of that guy that you’d see walking around the station that you wanted to say hi to him before he said hi to you.”
Rudoll said the team is still "in shock" and that it feels like they lost a family member.
“He was the guy you went to if you needed something, the guy that would motivate you, push you. If he didn’t like something he’d tell ya, but he’d also have kind of that answer on how to fix it, he’s just that guy," Rudoll said. “Knowing that you’re not going to see him anymore, knowing that he’s not going to be there, you’re not going to be able to shoot ideas off of him, there’s going to be a big part that’s going to be missed at our stations.”
And while Swanson may be gone, loved ones said his legacy will continue to live on.
In a Facebook comment, Swanson's wife, Lori, said her husband would "be gifting two people eyesight and helping at least 40 others with tissue, skin and ligament donations -- doing my best to make sure he didn't die in vain."