GOLD BEACH, Or. — The body of a Gold Beach man was recovered from the Rogue River on Friday morning after he went missing on Thursday afternoon.

I had just taken a break from editing and came out to get some fresh air and watch the river. Just then, a SUV came speeding up the ramp from the gravel bar. A few frantic horn blares later, a matter of seconds later really, the SUV came back around, and my neighbor told me to call 911. Harold Helton’s boat was doing circles on the inside bend below our gravel bar. I immediately called 911 and gave our location before explaining there was a man in the water, and his boat was found.

A neighbor, who by pure chance, had a boat in the water, raced to reach Harold’s boat and provide aid. Harold wasn’t in his boat and couldn’t be seen. It was at that point, time sped up and slowed down, all at the same time.

Within a minute, I was in a truck with other boaters headed to the water. We fanned out and started scanning the water and the shore. Everyone was operating on the hope of all hopes that Harold had somehow managed to make it to the side of the river and would be waiting for us with a sheepish grin. I called 911 again to update the dispatcher with a name now that we knew who we were looking for.

When someone is in trouble here, the last thing we think of is who they are. He was a neighbor and needed all the effort we could bring to bear and then some. That’s just all there is to that. The Rogue River is a strong, technically difficult, river that demands your respect.

Sheriff’s deputies, paramedics, and firefighters responded to the scene, where we told them everything we knew up to that point. While the Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue team deployed drones to get a view of the area, other members used boats to scour the area — using sonar to see if anyone could be detected underwater.

Harold had just launched his boat moments earlier. What nobody may ever know is what happened in the mere moments between launching and the discovery of his boat.

“He was supposed to be right over, so I went to see if he needed a hand” his fishing partner said. “That’s when I saw his boat going in circles before wedging onto the rocks”

As darkness fell, searchers had not located Helton and made plans to return at first light to resume the search with divers. Many of the earliest searchers exhausted their fuel and were agonizingly forced to return to shore. Due to the current state restrictions, many of the area’s seasonal residents, who own property here, weren’t allowed to fish legally so they haven’t come yet. It’s also why many hadn’t fueled up their boats yet. It hit us that we may never see our neighbor again. We milled around until well after dark feeling numb. We all just stood there trying to keep it together for each other.

Search teams returned the next day just before sunrise to continue searching. Shortly before 9 a.m., divers found Helton’s body and returned him to shore. It appears he was attempting to remove his prosthetic to make it easier to swim when his boat struck him. He was known to faithfully wear his life vest. It’s theorized the impact of his boat caused it to somehow slip off. It was recovered in the water moments after the boat was. The Sheriff’s Office says that his next of kin have been notified. “Our condolences go out to the family,” the agency said.

Harold Helton was well known to many in Gold Beach and across our county. He was our local seal wrangler and a well seasoned river pilot. Harold always had a friendly wave for his neighbors when passing on the road or the water. Many of us are still processing this tragedy. Our hearts are breaking for the Helton Family. Hundreds if not thousands of people are offering prayers of comfort and solace. We encourage you to do the same.

Harold Helton was 53 when he was called to his Creator’s embrace.

A GoFundMe account has been established to help the family lay Harold Helton to rest. We’ll update this article if we receive an update about service arrangements.