Hero boater drowns

Racine-- A tragic twist of fate for an Illinois boater who 8 years ago saved another man from drowning.

In 2005, 58-year-old Richard Franzese received the Citizen Lifesaving Award from the City of Racine for saving the life of a boater who had fallen into the water.  

Sadly and tragically, no one was nearby Saturday night when Franzese accidentally fell while getting his boat ready for winter at the Reefpoint Marina in Racine.

\"When he stepped off the dock and onto the boat, his pant leg caught a boat cleat and he slipped and fell, hit his dead on the dock, and fell into the water,\" said Bill Franzese, one of Richard's twelve siblings.

Franzese was found the next day in the water at the marina, a place the small business owner from suburban Chicago visited every weekend.  Bill Franzese says his brother had a passion not only for boating, but helping others.

\"He was there to help, whether you saw him in his office, on his boat, at his house, he was a very giving person.  Always there to help out.\"

Services will be held Friday and Saturday in Barrington, Illinois, near Franzese's home in Hoffman Estates.