SMITHVILLE, Missouri (KCTV/Gray News) – Family members are remembering a man who died when he jumped into a Missouri lake to save a 5-year-old boy and another person without life jackets.
David Moore, 66, jumped into Smithville Lake after his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son and another person without a life jacket were swept away from a pontoon boat Saturday afternoon. He was not wearing a life jacket, KCTV reports.
After the two were brought back to the boat, the current swept David Moore away and drowned him, his head submerged three times before he was no longer seen.
“He was able to pull the boy back … but it caused Dave to be swept further away and pushed under the water. He couldn’t stay on top. There was an undercurrent,” said family friend Hank Penland.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol has found David Moore’s body and is urging people to wear life jackets when on the water. All children involved in the incident survived.
David Moore’s family says jumping into the water to save others is an example of his personality.
“He was the first to help anyone,” said his childhood friend William “Bill” Penland.
Teresa Petty, David Moore’s sister, learned about the incident from her younger brother Randy Moore.
“I freaked out and immediately started crying,” Petty said. “It’s horrible. It’s like a nightmare. I just wish he had put on his life jacket.”
The family does not believe David Moore had been drinking at the time of his death, as he was one of the few adults on the boat.
“We are waiting for the autopsy because my brother was a good swimmer,” said Randy Moore.
David Moore was a building contractor and owned his own business for 30 years. He planned to retire next July.
The 66-year-old and the Penlands, father and son, recently took a cruise in Alaska. They are happy to have these memories with the person who meant so much to them.
“We said it was like going abroad,” said Bill Penland. “When he retired, he said he would do more fishing, more hunting and more boating.”
David Moore gave Hank Penland his first job working on houses in St. Joseph when he was 12 years old. He also helped him finish the new roof on his house this year.
“He said it was the last thing he would ever do himself,” Hank Penland said.
Family and friends also remember David Moore as an avid Kansas City Chiefs fan. Many say he was the reason they eventually became Chiefs fans. The last gift the 66-year-old gave his sister was a Chiefs shirt and necklace.
“He took me to my first Chiefs game a few years ago. It was freezing, but we stayed outside and watched the Chiefs,” Petty said.
David Moore was the first drowning victim this year at Smithville Lake, but according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, he was the 28th drowning victim in Missouri. During the same period last year, there were 24 drowning victims in the state.
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