ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, April 20, 1997 TAG: 9704210082
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETTY HAYDEN SNIDER THE ROANOKE TIMES
48-year-old Gary Marshall often camped on the lake.
Divers recovered the body of a Roanoke County man who drowned Friday in Smith Mountain Lake in Bedford County when his fishing boat capsized.
Gary Christopher Marshall, 48, of Bent Mountain Road had been camping on islands in the lake since Tuesday and may not have heard weather forecasts for high winds, said Lt. Karl Martin of the state Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Marshall, a disabled Vietnam War veteran who received two Purple Hearts, often fished and camped at the lake, police said.
The rough waves Friday forced divers to postpone their search until Saturday. Sonar equipment from the company that outfitted searchers in the TWA Flight 800 crash in Long Island, N.Y., helped divers find Marshall's body in 45 feet of water about 60 feet from the shore. The body was recovered about 3 p.m.
About 9 a.m. Friday, two construction workers heard Marshall's cries for help.
Despite windchill temperatures in the 30s and wind gusts of more than 40 mph, brothers Jesse Foutz, 18, and Nathan Foutz, 21, put on lifejackets and jumped in the lake, Martin said.
"What they did was extremely rare," Martin said of the Huddleston brothers. "Hypothermia could have set in real quickly."
The brothers reached Marshall as he lost consciousness but were unable to pull the 6-foot-4-inch, 230-pound man out. "They did everything they could and were probably only seconds short of saving his life," Martin said.
Marshall's 16-foot boat was not found Saturday, but divers plan to search for it next week because they would like to retrieve some personal items for the family, Martin said.
|By BETTY HAYDEN SNIDER| |THE ROANOKE TIMES|
Divers recovered the body of a Roanoke County man who drowned Friday in Smith Mountain Lake in Bedford County when his fishing boat capsized.
Gary Christopher Marshall, 48, of Bent Mountain Road had been camping on islands in the lake since Tuesday and may not have heard weather forecasts for high winds, said Lt. Karl Martin of the state Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Marshall, a disabled Vietnam War veteran who received two Purple Hearts, often fished and camped at the lake.
The rough waves Friday forced divers to postpone their search until Saturday. Sonar equipment from the company that outfitted searchers in the TWA Flight 800 crash in Long Island, N.Y., helped divers find Marshall's body in 45 feet of water about 60 feet from the shore. The body was recovered about 3 p.m.
About 9 a.m. Friday, two construction workers heard Marshall's cries for help.
Despite windchill temperatures in the 30s and wind gusts of more than 40 mph, brothers Jesse Foutz, 18, and Nathan Foutz, 21, put on lifejackets and jumped in the lake, Martin said.
"What they did was extremely rare," Martin said. "Hypothermia could have set in real quickly."
The brothers reached Marshall as he lost consciousness but were unable to pull the 6-foot-4-inch, 230-pound man out.
"They did everything they could and were probably only seconds short of saving his life," Martin said.
Marshall's 16-foot boat was not found Saturday, but divers plan to search for it next week because they would like to retrieve some personal items for the family, Martin said.
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines KEYWORDS: FATALITYby CNB