BURTON, MI -- Funds are being raised to cover the funeral costs for Brendan Wilson, 20, of Burton who died in a drowning at Frankfort Beach. According to Wilson’s relatives, the accident occurred on Aug. 18 when he attempted to rescue his girlfriend who began to struggle while swimming in the lake following a change in the weather that created hazardous conditions on the water.
Wilson began to struggle himself while trying to get his girlfriend back to shore, so friends he was with at the time attempted to rescue both of them. The friends managed to rescue Wilson’s girlfriend, but Wilson was pronounced deceased after being transported to Munson Medical Center shortly after the incident. Wilson graduated from Kearsley High School in 2022.
He enjoyed spending time outdoors and playing his favorite sport, tennis, according to relatives who spoke with MLive-The Flint Journal. Evan Wilson, 16, Brendan’s brother, sad in addition to playing sports, his brother enjoyed collecting items like Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering cards. However, Evan said Brendan was constantly developing new interests.
“He was like this huge variety of a person,” Evan said. “He had so many phases.” “Whenever he had a hobby and stuff, he would be so far into it, and then the next week he would be so far into something else, whether it be like a new show or collecting,” Evan said.
Katie Zess, Brendan’s father’s longtime partner, said the fact they were able to get him out of the water.