Tribute to father who drowned saving his children in Mississippi River

The family of Cody Jay Pope, 41, who drowned saving his two children in the Mississippi River, has set up a GoFundMe to help raise funds for his children.

The tragic incident unfolded on Friday, July 12, when police were called to a report of people struggling in the water at Rivers Edge Commons.

It emerged that Pope and his two children had been swimming on the sandbar, when the kids were taken by the current and began to struggle as they went deeper into the water.

Pope was able to grab his daughter and get her to the sandbar, before jumping back in to push his son to shore. He then disappeared under the water.

His body was eventually found in the river near the Oliver Kelley Farm in Elk River.

"Cody leaves behind two young children – Rowan 10 years old, Calvin 6 years old and the love of his live Cheryl," says Julie Boll, an aunt of the family and organizer of the fundraiser. "As you can imagine, this will place an incredible financial burden on the family for years to come."

On Facebook, Cheryl Holzknecht paid tribute to her husband, saying: "I will spend the rest of my life missing Cody. He was an amazing daddy and a true hero in his last moments.

"I don’t know how I will make it without him, he was my rock and did so much for anyone and everyone he knew. Such a selfless human and gone far far too soon."

The fundraiser has so far accumulated $11,710 of its $12,000 goal, which will be used for medical expenses such as therapy, food since one of the children has special dietary needs, clothes, supplies for the fall and more.