A North Carolina father of seven is being remembered for his selflessness, bravery, and undeniable love for his children after he tragically died while attempting to save two of them from the ocean, People reported.
Johnny Lee Vann, 35, dove into the ocean and tried to rescue his drowning children, even refusing help when it arrived and insisting they save his children first.
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The Vann family had just to Durham, NC, from Detroit, Michigan.
The clan were reportedly looking to secure a better life for themselves from the move, with Johnny “excited for the start of a new chapter” . Together, he and his wife, Dawn, shared seven children.
On July 14, two of the Vann children had been walking alongside a submerged jetty wall at the state’s Wrightsville Beach.
At around 4 p.m., the kids fell into the ocean water and were swept away by the raging high tide waves. It only took seconds for Johnny to dive in after them, Dawn told WECT 6 .
“He never hesitated,” she said. “He threw everything down — phone, keys — and ran out there.”
Johnny fought the rough tide and, according to Dawn, was able to get to his drowning kids.
He brought one to safety, but as he dove back in for the second child, he was unable to stay above the current.
His wife said he was visibly in distress, saying he couldn’t breathe. But as lifeguards and bystanders on beach hurried towards him, he resisted their help and insisted they aid his children first.
“They could’ve easily saved him. He said, ‘Forget about me. Get my kids.’ He didn’t care about nothing else.”
After the drowning children were brought safely to shore, emergency crews went back in for Johnny and found the father submerged in the water.
After 30 or 40 minutes of CPR, it was determined that he couldn’t be revived.
Dawn says the family is in shock and denial at the loss of their patriarch.
“You couldn’t ask for a better person, you could have took anybody else,” Dawn said. “I mean me personally, I would’ve preferred to take me than him.”
Johnny’s daughter, Kierstyn, said her father always supported her and her siblings, and used to tell the children, “You all are going to be together forever.”
Dawn and locals who know the Wrightsville Beach say that the area is unsafe for people to visit.
Andre Nel, a fishing charter captain who witnessed Johnny’s heroic and tragic rescue, said the jetty is particularly unsafe as it it is not visible during high tide.
He added that two signs warning vistors of this fact blew away during Hurricane Matthew and were never replaced.
“There needs to be a lifeguard station right here,” Nel said. “If there was a lifeguard station right here yesterday, this would not have happened.”
Following his untimely death, Johnny’s family has set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for various personal expenses.
According to the page , donations will go towards covering relocation expenses, potential grief counselling, and moving Johnny back to Detroit so he can be buried next to his mother.
As of posting, the page has raised over $45,000 of its $50,000 goal since it was first posted on July 15, one day after Johnny’s death.
On the page, Johnny is described as having been known to friends and family as a “pillar of jovial spirit.”
“His smile could light up any room and was guaranteed to put a smile on your face,” the post reads, adding that they encourage anyone who knew Johnny to share stories and photos of the late patriarch.
“Our family is extremely grateful for any financial support and words of encouragement.”
h/t: People
