A father from Tennessee has drowned after “selflessly” giving his life to save his family.
Fred Pepperman raced into the ocean at a Florida beach when he noticed one of his daughters appeared to be struggling, reports Fox News.
The 16-year-old was far from the beach and “you could just see something was wrong,” Pepperman’s wife Julie told WBIR.
Pepperman, 53, was joined by two of his other daughters, who also jumped into the sea to help in the rescue effort.
The family was vacationing on beaches near Panama City, just before the couple’s 28th anniversary.
As Tropical Storm Barry approached, Double Red Flag warnings were posted. Pepperman said the water “was fine.”
Julie told WBIR that all six family members were in the water when they noticed one of the 16-year-old daughters was far out and they knew something wasn’t right.
https://www.facebook.com/julie.pepperman/posts/10156663151087632
Fred used all of his might to rescue his girls and bring them to safety, but the riptide was too much
“Once we were safe, he was simply too exhausted to worry about himself,” Julie wrote on Facebook. “His body was worn out.”
“He did everything a dad is supposed to do,” Julie Pepperman said.
“Without him, three of mine definitely would be gone,” she said of her husband’s heroic move. “It doesn’t seem real.”
“I just want people to know a lot of dads say they would do it, and he did it, so that’s a dad,” she continued.
“You did good, Freddie. Our girls are safe. You saved your family. You are a good man, through and through. We love you and our hearts are breaking!
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family.
