‘The biggest heart’: Family grieves victim in Tulare County drowning

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – The family of a Utahn who passed after drowning in Tulare County along with two other people are now grieving after the loss of what they describe as a selfless man.

On Friday, fire officials from Tulare County responded to a possible drowning at Seven Teacups. Upon arrival, firefighters say they found three people deceased on the scene.

Peter On was one of the three drowning victims identified by officials besides Jeannine Skinner and David Bell.

His family describes On as a selfless individual, who would always look out for others and was a “no man is left behind” kind of person.

“He would never consider himself a hero, it’s just what he does. But that was the embodiment, he was someone that just cared… deeply,” said Sherman On, Peter’s brother. “He was gonna look out for every person who was there.”

On the day of the incident, Cyndi Bell, David’s sister, said the group was rappelling in the area. During their last rappel, they went down into a pool of water. Jeannine went first, but she got caught in a whirlpool.

Peter then jumped in to save her and became caught as well. Bell jumped in to save them both, but all three ended up drowning as a result.

Peter’s family says that when they found out about the news, they were in disbelief. They said Peter was an “outdoorsy” person who would go on adventures often.

“Disbelief is probably the biggest one. It’s because it’s a hobby that he did commonly on the weekends. He’s done since his early 20s,” said Sherman. “Pete would surf Monday through Thursday and then he was typically traveling somewhere Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.”

While being an adventurous extrovert, his brother also described Peter as a man who would be there for everybody, no matter the time or place.

“He took upon himself that responsibility. That he was gonna watch over my children if I wasn’t there, and that to me, surviving my bro… He just had the biggest heart for people.”

Peter’s brother-in-law, Josh Nicholls, describes him as the “embodiment of selflessness” but also as a man with a goofy personality who would stand out in family pictures.

Pictures that, now that he’s gone, are a reminder of his personality.

“You don’t realize until he’s gone that for the last 24 years, we have photos that capture our likeness. but for the last 24 years, we also have photos that capture Pete’s personality. And that is tremendously unique.”

The family says it is amazing to read stories about Peter around the world, and how he was able to touch people’s lives. They say they want people to remember Peter, not as a perfect man, but as a selfless individual who would ensure no one was ever left behind.

“There are people that are paid to do hard jobs, people who are paid to sacrifice their lives, you have police officers and firefighters, and you have people who are defending countries and that’s their job, and they put their lives on the line because it is expected of them, and they in a way volunteered and they are being compensated for it and they are, you know, servants in that regard. And then you have someone like Pete,” said Josh. “Pete was the just one who tried to be present in the lives around him. And when called upon to do something that ultimately would cost his life, he was willing to give it, even though it was not expected of him.”

An obituary has been created for Peter , and a Facebook page honoring the memory of all three victims was also created.

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