SURRY COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) – A family fishing trip turned dangerous after a North Carolina man drowned while trying to rescue children in distress in a river.
Benny Bowers Jr., 44, jumped into the Yadkin River in Surry County on Sunday, April 28, when his three sons fell into the water, according to relatives and the sheriff's office.
Bowers managed to rescue all of the children, but did not resurface after pushing the third boy to safety, his sister Angela Stewart said.
“My brother gave him one last push and told him to go,” Stewart said through tears. “When he looked into the eyes of his sister-in-law and saw that she had given birth to a baby, he closed her eyes and dove under the water. And he never came back.”
Several emergency personnel worked together to search for Bowers using boats, drones and sonar. Around 11:15 a.m. on Monday, April 29, authorities discovered his body near the confluence of the Ararat and Yadkin rivers.
Bowers' 10-year-old son, Benny Bowers III, remembered his father as a “brave man.”
“He was the best father I ever had. He's a hero, a real-life hero,” said the boy who was rescued by his father.
Family members said the 44-year-old loved God and enjoyed dancing and fishing with his sons.
“He had a love that was infectious and full of energy,” said Melanie Williams, another of Bowers' sisters. “And he would do anything for anyone.”
Mr. Bowers was buried on May 6th. Stewart said his legacy is in his sons.
“He gave us four gifts, and those four gifts are his sons. They resemble him,” she said.