PROVO, Utah — Those who knew Daniel Figueiredo are sharing memories of the man who drowned over the weekend while rescuing a young family member who had drifted out onto the Silver Lake Flat Reservoir in Utah County.
“He always put people first, and that reflected in the way he treated his family," explained childhood friend, Gabriel Coelho.
Figueiredo and Coelho spent many moments together growing up, eventually living together in Utah for a few years.
"I remember, you know, sometimes we'd go on a few hikes years ago, and he just loved the mountains. He loved the Utah landscape," Coelho shared Thursday.
Friend of paddleboarder who drowned on Utah County reservoir shares his legacy below:
Coelho says Daniel loved being outdoors, especially with his children.
“It’s hard to talk about this, but [his children] Benji, Memel and Leo; Leo was just born a month ago, so that’s the difficult part for me and my family. We’re just really sad that they’ll grow without him,” he said.
On Saturday, Figueiredo was with family on the reservoir when his 12-year-old relative was on an inflatable tube and began drifting further from shore.
"[The girl] was drifting farther and farther in the water, and he was trying to help her come close to the family," Coelho explained about what happened to his friend. “It’s been really, really difficult to deal with this loss. So many people that are just devastated.”
Figueiredo is being remembered as a proud family man.
“His family’s well-being was his first priority; that’s why he worked so hard, that’s why he did what he did," added Gabriel.
Coelho has organized a GoFundMe campaign to support “Daniel's wife, Bruna, and their children.
"To make sure that Bruna and the kids are well taken care of for the next few months as they grieve, as they go through this painful time. So, to Daniel, what I’d say is we are taking care of them.“
Daniel's friend has been touched by the amount of support that has come through, as Figueiredo is remembered for all the joy he brought to the world.
“I think his legacy is one of service is one of dedication to what he believed to be his first priority, which was his family.”
