'He Died A Hero': Texas Man Drowns Saving Sons From Riptide

SURFSIDE BEACH, TX — A Texas family is mourning the loss of its patriarch after he died last weekend saving his sons from a dangerous riptide.

Josh Graham died Saturday while his family swam at Surfside Beach, located about an hour south of Houston. He drowned while attempting to save his two oldest sons, according to a GoFundMe page set up for the family.

"We lost the love of my life, my soul mate, the best father to my son and stepsons, a loving son and brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and dear friend to so many," Josh's wife, Angela, wrote on the fundraising site. "He died a hero."

Josh died after being caught in a riptide, defined as a "powerful current caused by the tide pulling water through an inlet along a barrier beach," according to the Eastern Long Island Coastal Conservation Alliance.

Different than undertow or rip currents, riptides can be life-threatening to even the most experienced swimmers.

Despite that, "countless" strangers came to Josh's aid that day, Angela wrote, expressing her gratitude to them. She also thanked those who "held her up" as she watched her husband and children struggle in the water.

Mike Lampson and Rodney Sanders were among the strangers who tried to help. Both are military-trained in survival swimming, they told CBS affiliate KHOU.

Sanders told the television station he and others spent about 20 minutes fighting the strong currents before they reached an unresponsive Graham.

"This interview's not for me, this is for Josh. We feel that we needed to tell his side of the story. He died protecting his kids, and he's the hero here," Lampson told KHOU.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help pay for funeral expenses and grief counseling, and to also set up a college account for the Grahams' three children. As of Wednesday, the page had raised more than $32,000.

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