It's a spring time tragedy that's all too familiar this time of year.
Rideau Lakes councillor Doug Good, 69, and retired farmer Michael Carty, 72, died after the truck they were driving on Big Rideau Lake went through the ice on Friday.
The two men told neighbours they were going to trim the dead elm trees on Cow Island, which is more than a kilometre from shore. OPP were called when the men didn't return home Friday night. After an extensive search, dive teams recovered their bodies on Sunday.
"I really don't know how we'll ever fill his shoes," says former Rideau Lakes councillor Betty James of Good.
James knew Good for most of his life. The pair were part of a group who still held 'chit-chat' on Thursdays, a gathering to talk about the goings on in Portland, ON, where the two men lived.
"Doug has always been a community man, just ready to help anybody and to do everything he could," James says.
Carty was from Elgin where he was a farmer for many years. According to neighbours, he'd moved to Portland in the last few years. Both he and Good were part of the Big Rideau Lake Association.
In a statement posted on its website, Association President Brian Hawkins says "Doug and Mike’s passion for and commitment to their lake, community, friends and neighbours is surely a cornerstone of their continuing legacy."
This wasn't the only tragedy on the ice this weekend. A 61-year-old man died after his ATV went through the ice while he was trying to cross Buck Lake. Last week, two vehicles went through the ice at Constance Bay.
Despite the freezing cold this weekend, OPP say ice conditions are unpredictable this time of year.
"The weather is changing...unless you determine the thickness of the ice, you're taking a chance," says Cst. Sandra Barr.
The coroner has ordered autopsies be conducted, but the deaths aren't considered suspicious.
