Fredericton man's body found in Grand Lake
End of Supporting Story ContentBack to accessibility links Beginning of Story ContentMitchell Clarke's obituary says he will be buried Thursday. Inmemoriam.caA Fredericton man died attempting to rescue his children at Grand Lake Saturday.
Mitchell Clarke, 43, brought his wife and two young children to the popular cottage area for the weekend. It was a hot day with a strong breeze.
Mike Calabrese, a resident of nearby Douglas Harbour, said the water was a little rough.
"The wind had blown, you know not [a] storm, [but] blown all day so it builds up fairly large waves," he said Monday.
Clarke's two children were swimming in the lake around 6 p.m. when a cold front moved through the area, strengthening the wind and waves.
Clarke's children were wearing life jackets and had been close to a sand bar. The waves started pushing them further into the lake and their father went to rescue them.
He managed to get both children safely to friends on the shoreline, but then disappeared under the water before he could get out.
RCMP Cpl. Al Vincent said many residents took part in the search.
"There was a number of people both from his family and friends and others in the area who are of great assistance and who obviously did all they could do to help," he said Sunday.
Clarke's body was found a short distance from the sandbar on Sunday.
Clarke was a Fredericton businessman. He was vice-president of Wilkins Building Supplies and a real-estate developer.
"It was just a very bad accident, it was just something that happened. You wouldn't think maybe it could happen, but it did," Calabrese said Sunday.
A funeral service will be held for Clarke at 11 a.m. Thursday at York Funeral Home’s T. Gordon MacLeod Memorial Chapel.
