Man dies saving wife, his father dies trying to save him during ceremony to spread ashes

An Arizona man and his father died while saving his wife after she became caught in a rip current at a ceremony to spread his grandfather’s ashes at sea, according to the Sacramento Bee.

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Damian Walker, 33, was with his family in Puerto Rico to spread the ashes of his paternal grandfather when his wife became caught in a rip current.

Walker went to rescue his wife but began struggling. His father then went into the water to help him, and both men drowned. The body of his father has not been found.

According to a GoFundMe page set up for Walker’s family, Walker “gave the ultimate sacrifice” during the rescue on March 3.

“He was the spark that lit the fire for so many people,” a biography on the campaign’s website said. “He loved, lived, and breathed this place (WildFire CrossFit, where Walker worked) and this community. His spark truly spread like WildFire.”

“He would be proud of the way things happened. He always wanted to be a superhero, and in the end, that’s the way it ended up,” Wildfire co-owner Skip Divelbiss told KPHO.

Walker’s wife, Salmeh, survived, according to the Sacramento Bee.

As of Wednesday afternoon, more than $29,500 had been raised through the GoFundMe account.