Eugene COLE

COLE, LASHBROOK, BROWN

Posted By: Sharon R. Becker (email)
Date: 3/9/2011 at 06:55:39

Obituary - Eugene Cole

The Globe Gazette
Mason City, Iowa
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
by John Skipper of The Globe Gazette

Mason City Man's Body
Recovered From Briarstone Lake

MASON CITY — The body of Eugene COLE was recovered from the south end of Briarstone Lake at about 1 p.m. Tuesday.

COLE, 75, a retired farmer and Mason City Realtor, apparently fell out of his boat while fishing on the lake, said Mason City Police Chief Michael LASHBROOK.

His body was found in about 20 feet of water by search and rescue teams that had been looking for him since Monday morning.

His body was taken to Mercy Medical Center - North Iowa where an autopsy will be performed Wednesday, said LASHBROOK.

Volunteer search and rescue teams came from all over Iowa - and one came from Minnesota Tuesday to fan out across the lake in hopes of finding COLE.

Don BROWN of Rockwell, president of Iowa Underwater Search & Rescue, said four teams, totaling 20-25 searchers, entered the water at about 8 a.m.

They used a map of the lake and sectioned it off with each team being responsible for checking a particular area.

"There are various search techniques," said BROWN. "Each team uses whatever they think will work best."

Teams from Cerro Gordo, Sioux, Carroll, Denison and Winona (Minn.) counties, were involved, he said.

LASHBROOK said many agencies assisted, including the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa State Patrol, Mason City police and fire departments, Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Department, and the Cerro Gordo/Franklin emergency management team.

Volunteers from the American Red Cross provided sandwiches, snacks and beverages to the rescuers when any of them took a momentary break from their search, which lasted about five hours.

Patrons of the nearby Days Inn and other businesses watched from a distance in silence as the body was recovered and brought out of the water.

COLE, a retired farmer, was a Realtor who lived in Mason City for 17 years.

He had gone fishing Saturday night. His boat was found drifting in the lake on Sunday, prompting the search.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, March of 2011