Frank Lester Death and Obituary, 6-year old Boy Drowned at East Harbor State Park Identified; GoFundMe Campaign Organized for Family

Frank Lester Death and Obituary, 6-year old Boy Drowned at East Harbor State Park Identified; GoFundMe Campaign Organized for Family

Authorities on Monday identified the 6-year-old boy who died at East Harbor State Park on Saturday September 17, 2022.

Frank Lester, 6, of Gibsonburg, drowned while participating in an outing at the park, according to the Ottawa County coroner’s office.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources said Lester went under the water at the beach’s swim zone and did not resurface.

Bailey Dipman, the lead coroner investigator at the county coroner’s office, said they believe Lester was underwater for about five to 10 minutes before he was found.

Bystanders attempted CPR, but Lester didn’t respond. The circumstances that led to the drowning were not clear. The state’s natural resources department, which is investigating the death, said on Monday it does not have any updates.

The family organized a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for Lester’s burial expenses. “My wife and I recently lost our nephew who we were in custody of,” Gibsonburg resident Matthew Swanson wrote on the fundraising page.

“We are looking for any assistance to help with making final arrangements. Frank was 6 years old and tragically lost his life yesterday in a swimming accident.”

It continued: “I don’t really have the words that could explain our pain, but we could use all the help we can get,” Swanson said.

As of Monday afternoon, the campaign had generated nearly $7,000 from more than 100 donations, surpassing its $5,000 goal.

People can donate to the campaign by searching for “Gibsonburg” or “Matthew Swanson” on gofundme.com.