The Provo man who died while rescuing a girl from drowning in a Utah County reservoir was “a loyal, kind and thoughtful husband,” according to loved ones who prepared his obituary.
A Provo man who died while saving a 12-year-old girl in a Utah County reservoir is being remembered as “loyal, kind and thoughtful” by his loved ones. Funeral services are set for next week.
The Provo man who died while rescuing a girl from drowning in a Utah County reservoir was “a loyal, kind and thoughtful husband,” according to loved ones who prepared his obituary.
Daniel Braga Figueiredo, 31, borrowed a paddleboard and went out to help a 12-year-old girl who was drifting on an inflatable tube just before 7 p.m. on July 12 at Silver Lake Flat Reservoir, according to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
After struggling to help the girl, he was last seen lifting her onto an inflatable device before disappearing under the surface, the sheriff’s office said. At about 9:30 p.m., a rescue crew recovered his body.
The young father is survived by his wife, Bruna, and their three sons: Benjamin, 5; Samuel, 2; and Leo, who was just born a month ago.
Funeral services for Figueiredo are scheduled for Tuesday evening in a Provo chapel, according to an obituary posted by SereniCare Funeral Home. Burial will take place Wednesday morning at Provo City Cemetery, 610 S. State St., Provo.
Family friend Gabriel Coelho set up a GoFundMe campaign to support Figueiredo’s wife, Bruna, and their three children. As of Saturday afternoon, the campaign had raised more than $67,000 in pledges, toward a goal of $100,000.
The GoFundMe will help Bruna and her sons with living expenses and funeral costs.
“Daniel has departed this life as a hero, a role he has always had,” the family wrote in the GoFundMe. “His passing has left a deep void in our hearts. His selfless act was the ultimate reflection of who he was every day: a protector, a provider and a man of deep love and courage.”
According to an obituary posted by SereniCare Funeral Home, Figueiredo was born Nov. 8, 1993, in Curitiba, Brazil, as the only child to Wilson Figueiredo da Silva and Wanilma Braga Figueiredo.
“Daniel was raised in a home filled with love and faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ,” the obituary says. “From an early age, he displayed a joyful, generous and determined spirit — qualities that only grew stronger with time.”
The obituary says he was “a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” and served a mission in Porto Alegre, Brazil, from 2012 to 2014, ”where he touched many lives with his unwavering faith, pure heart and tireless desire to serve.”
While working as a counselorat one of the church’s For the Strength of Youth conferences in 2014, Figueiredo met his future wife, Bruna, who was also working as a counselor, the obituary says.
The couple dated for three years, then married in 2017. The obituary says they “built a gospel-centered home together, where joy, laughter and the teachings of the Savior were lived daily.”
According to Figueiredo’s Facebook profile, he studied at the UniBrasil Centro Universitário in Curitiba until 2017,then began his studies at Brigham Young University the next year.
His obituary says Figueiredo was a “present, loving and devoted father” who coordinatedHalloween costumes and camping trips.
The couple establisheda weekly tradition of taking family photos after church. Some of those photos appear on Bruna’s social media, and are, the obituary said, “memories that are now treasured beyond measure.”
Three weeks before he died, Figueiredo began work on his Master of Business Administration degree — a lifelong dream, the obituary said.
“All who knew him hold the certainty that Daniel lived a life full of purpose and love,” the obituary says. It includes a quote from Bruna’s message to him: “Thank you for everything you did and were. For all you transformed me into and gave me.”
The reservoir where Figueiredo lost his life, in the mountains of American Fork Canyon, is a popular place for fishing and hiking, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Ty Hunter, boating program manager for the Utah Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Outdoor Recreation stressed how important it is for Utahns who enjoy water recreation to use life jackets.
“If you’re going to go help somebody, take the extra precautions: Wear a life jacket,” Hunter said. “Go out and basically take care of yourself, so you can help the person in need.”
Each year, about 34 Utahns die from drowning, and 28% of those deaths are children under 18, according to the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.
All vessels, including boats, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and canoes, must have a U.S. Coast Guard-approved wearable personal flotation device or life jacket for each passenger, Hunter said, and children 12 and under need to be wearing one while on the water.
The requirement, he added, is difficult for recreation officers to enforce, and people largely need to take precautions without being told to do so.
Many people, Hunter said, think, “it hasn’t happened to us. It hasn’t happened to our family. We’ve been doing this for years.”
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