Asbury Park Area Fisherman 'Married' The Ocean. Now He's Lost.

Dennis Smalling was married to the ocean. And that's where he went missing, and that's where he's lost.

And that's where a cross was erected to remember the fisherman whose disappearance has a community in mourning.

Even as his mom, and his 12-year-old daughter, still hope he comes home.

The Point Pleasant native was only 34 when he and his shipmate, Paul Matos, 30, of Bayville, disappeared at sea last week.

"Dennis Smalling was married to the ocean," his cousin, Pat, said on Facebook. "I guess that salty bitch finally did him in."

Smalling and Matos were together on a 46-foot boat called the Queen Anne's Revenge's when it went down in the early morning hours on Thursday.

Family and friends of the two fishermen erected a cross on the beach to remember Smalling soon after the Coast Guard gave up its search. A GoFundMe page was created for Matos, his girlfriend and his little daughter (photo courtesy of Pat Smalling).

Alice Vannote, Smalling's mother, said "the hope that maybe they'll still be found alive is there." Smalling, who previously repaired antique cars, left behind a 12-year-old daughter who is still waiting for her dad to come home, Vannote told Patch.

Smalling worked on several scallop boats and worked on Matos' boat for two months, his mom said. He had felt nervous about the condition of the boat that was more than 60 years old.

He hesitated to go on the fishing trip but he was loyal to Matos, his mom said. Visiting with his mother, Smalling poked his head in and told her he loved her, and she told him to have a safe trip, Vannote said. And then he was gone.

"At this time we are deeply grieving and in disbelief. We are still praying he will be brought home," Vannote wrote on Facebook.

"In the future, as it will be, we will have a memorial service in honor of Dennis and a celebration of his life," she said. "We are thankful to the Coast Guard and efforts of all involved. Thank you for the prayers, kind words and concern..they have been a comfort to our family at this difficult time."

On Facebook, this is what they are saying:

"I'm so sorry ... my heart breaks for you & him.."

"Rest In Peace buddy."

Matos's girlfriend, Amy Romano, noted that "every part of me hurts and I feel so devastated."

Writing on Facebook, Romano said she knows people are looking for answers and closure, "with many of you coming up with 50 different scenarios of what could have possible happened to them."

"But please don't blame Paul, Dennis or the boat to deal with your pain and loss," she said. "No one knows what happened. This situation is tragic and terrible and, in my eyes, is no one's fault. We are all hurting."

Until a "deep-sea diver goes down there," Romano said, nobody will know what happened.

"I would appreciate just prayers and positive thoughts," she said. "Or please help us get in contact with the right people or find resources for deep-sea diving or retrieval of the fishing boat so that both families and friends can have the possibility of getting more closure."

"For all we know, anything could have went wrong and it was God's plan for them to be taken away."

Matos and Smalling, sent an emergency alert out at 1:20 a.m. on Thursday. That was the last time anyone had contact with either of them.

Coast Guard first responders searched 4,441 square-miles by sea and air for the two men over the past two day, but found no trace of either man. The boat's emergency signal first indicated the boat was about 40 miles off the coast of Barnegat.

Weather conditions were rough when the boat was last heard from, with 10-foot seas, roughly 25 mile per hour winds and an ocean water temperature of 46 degrees, Coast Guard Capt. Scott Anderson said.

Amy's friend, Lauren Ashley, is hoping that people will chip in and contribute to a gofundme account for a memorial account and help Amy and her daughter, Stella.

"Any money raised would help towards whatever type of memorial the family would throw, plus it would take some stress off of Amy in this extremely hard time," Ashley wrote on the gofundme page for them.

Here are some photos of Smalling and tributes:

Dennis and his daughter, Audrey, and her mom

Denny, his friend and his brother, Keith Vannote

Here are photos of Matos, his daughter and girlfriend, Amy:

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported Smalling's fate. Smalling has been declared "lost at sea."

Photo courtesy of the Matos and Smalling families