Father who drowned attempting to save lots of son at Salisbury Seaside remembered as hero

Native Information

Gary Simard, of Methuen, jumped into the water to save lots of his son from a robust rip present.

Gary Simard, the 44-year-old Methuen man who died this week after making an attempt to rescue his son from a rip present at Salisbury Seaside, is being remembered as a heroic household man.

“Gary lived his complete life for his household,” his sister Kelly Simard wrote on a GoFundMe web page that has been set as much as cowl the household’s bills. “Gary actually was a hero who not solely devoted his life to his youngsters however actually gave his life for them.”

The GoFundMe had raised greater than $46,000 of a $55,000 purpose as of Friday afternoon.

Simard was having fun with a seaside day together with his household Wednesday when considered one of his youngsters was caught in a rip present and pulled removed from shore. Simard and two bystanders jumped into the water to save lots of the boy, officers stated.

When first responders arrived, the 2 bystanders and the kid had been again on shore, however Simard remained unaccounted for. Authorities shortly situated him and pulled him to shore, however he was unresponsive. CPR was administered, and he was delivered to Seabrook Emergency Room, the place he was pronounced useless.

Simard was born in Haverhill and attended St. Joseph’s Grammar Faculty and Central Catholic Excessive Faculty, in keeping with a web based obituary. After working at his household enterprise, Simard Fuel and Oil Firm, he moved into automotive gross sales. Simard spent the previous eight years employed by Lyon-Waugh Auto Group in Peabody. He was happy with just lately being promoted to the position of finance supervisor.

Simard lived for his 4 youngsters, all below the age of 13, and his longtime associate Alexis Wornski.

“He died as a superhero. He saved my child,” she informed WCVB.

The household had been renting a home on the seaside, the station reported. They had been scheduled to go away Wednesday, however determined to take one final swim.

One of many bystanders who jumped into the water with Simard was Jason Evan Iarossi, who informed NBC10 Boston that he noticed the incident unfold from about 30 yards away.

“We swam out to the child. We had been over our heads, and it was an excessive amount of. It was an excessive amount of,” Iarossi informed NBC10.

Simard was a fan of the foremost Boston sports activities groups who beloved taking his household to video games, planning fishing journeys with coworkers, and spending the day at Foxwoods On line casino.

“He was outgoing and had a fantastic humorousness. He will likely be missed by all who knew him,” Simard’s household wrote in his obituary.