Fund Established In Memory Of 2 Petaluma Children Lost At Sea

PETALUMA, CA — A scholarship fund has been established at Chabad Jewish Center of Petaluma in memory of two local children who, along with their father, were pulled into the ocean by dangerous sneaker waves Sunday afternoon at a beach along the Sonoma Coast.

The body of Michael Wyman, 40, of Petaluma, was recovered Sunday from the waters off Blind Beach near Jenner, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said, but authorities were not immediately able to find his 7-year-old daughter, Anna, and 4-year-old son, John.

Multiple 911 calls came in around 2:30 p.m. Sunday about the possible drownings. Monte Rio Fire Protection District Chief Steve Baxman said the two children and their mother and father were pulled into the water.

The mother was able to get out of the water and others at the beach were able to pull the father out, but emergency crews were not able to resuscitate him. The sheriff's office identified him as Petaluma resident Michael Wyman.

The missing children were not found during the rest of the day Sunday, and the recovery effort reportedly continued into Wednesday. Deputies and California State Parks lifeguards were patrolling the coast, and, weather permitting, a rescue helicopter was searching by air.

Damien Jones, California State Parks peace officer supervisor, said a U.S. Coast Guard boat searched the water Sunday. Since then, the recovery effort has continued each day and has mainly been on foot along the Sonoma Coast, Jones said Wednesday.

Weather conditions continue to affect the recovery effort, Sonoma County sheriff's Sgt. Juan Valencia said.

"State Parks has officers out at the beach," Valencia told Patch on Wednesday. "We have deputies out searching. The weather is the issue."

The sheriff's office advised other residents not to come to the beach to help look for the children.

"It's very dangerous and we don't want to have any more drowning victims," sheriff's officials said in social media posts.

The Anna and John Wyman Scholarship Fund

As the recovery effort continued, the Chabad Jewish Center of Petaluma announced it partnered with widow Sarah Wyman to establish a scholarship fund in memory of her two children.

The Wyman family recently moved to Petaluma from Oakland; the brother and sister previously studied at Chabad Hebrew School in Berkeley and were to begin their studies at Petaluma Hebrew this month.

Chabad Petaluma embraced the Wymans as "a beautiful family with two precious children who just ... joined our community... Michael was a loving father, who gave his life while trying to save theirs. Hashem sometimes chooses the very best to be close to Him."

"May their memory be for a blessing," Chabad Petaluma said Monday in a Facebook post announcing the Anna and John Wyman Scholarship Fund. "Our hearts go out to Sarah Wyman and the extended family."

Chabad Jewish Center of Petaluma said the scholarship fund was established to "ensure that every Jewish child be able to receive a Jewish education, and explore their culture, traditions, and holidays."

Donations can be made online through Chabad Jewish Center of Petaluma, as well as online at Chabadberkeley.org/wymanfund.

While the Wyman children "won't get to participate personally, their presence will be felt and their memory honored at Petaluma Hebrew."

"The scholarship fund will encourage new enrollment in the program, and financially assist families who otherwise would not be able to attend. The scholarship fund will also benefit children wishing to attend Camp Aleph for a Jewish summer experience. In addition, it will assist boys and girls as they reach the age of Bar and Bat Mitzvah to be able to celebrate properly.

"It is our hope and wish that The Anna and John Wyman Scholarship Fund will be a lasting legacy, and keep Anna and John (Chana Aviva and Gershom Yaakov) near and dear to our hearts."

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.