A married couple died helping save their children when the boat they were on with other family members capsized on a Colorado lake over Memorial Day weekend.
Joshua Prindle, 30, and his wife of 10 years, Jessica Prindle, 38, were boating with 11 other relatives, including their four kids, when tragedy struck at Lake Pueblo State Park on Sunday.
Their boat flipped over due to high winds and all 13 aboard were tossed into the cold waters. The parents died making sure their children survived, according to the children’s uncle.
“They both were kind-hearted people who would do anything to help anyone, and in their last moments that is exactly what they did by helping their children survive,” Jessica’s brother Jesus Ramirez wrote on the GoFundMe page he set up to pay for funeral expenses.
Jessica Prindle died at the scene, the Pueblo County coroner’s office said. A rescue team recovered her body shortly after the boat flipped and rushed the 11 survivors to the hospital.
Joshua Prindle, who was active military, was still missing until his body was found two days later on Tuesday morning in 107 feet of water after a Colorado Parks and Wildlife rescue team spent all night searching.
The 11 survivors, eight children and three adults, were treated for hypothermia, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
The boat was reportedly overloaded with people. It had a legal capacity limit of six to seven passengers, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson said.
Ramirez said everyone on board were family members of his and his sister’s.
Joshua Prindle was stationed at Fort Carson nearby and had been deployed to Afghanistan twice as well as Iraq for one tour after joining the Army in 2010, the Pueblo Chieftain reported, citing Fort Carson officials.
Jessica Prindle “loved working with children and was starting her own party planning company,” her brother wrote on the GoFundMe page.
The fundraiser has received more than $25,000 in donations which will be used for burial and funeral services. Any leftover funds will be put in a savings account for the couple’s children, Ramirez said.