When 11-year-old Ryan Doidge went ice skating with his grandfather, 78-year-old Robert Doidge, on Saturday morning, he said it was the perfect day: His grandfather was giving him a lesson at the pond on their property.
However, everything changed in the blink of an eye.
"He comes around, he's coming around about here, I believe. I'm over there. He turns his back, I turn my back. He's about where that pink float thing is and he falls in," said Ryan Doidge.
The victim's wife was on shore where she'd been taking photos of the ice skating and immediately told her grandson to get a rope. A neighbor, who was at the property located in the 16300 block of Vail Loop Road SE near Vail, then grabbed a railing from a fence in an attempt to rescue Doidge.
"She threw it in, tried to get Papa to throw it up but he's treading water right now," recalled Ryan Doidge.
The railing didn't work so they got a hose and eventually a dinghy.
"I get out of the water. My whole body is numb 'cause that's so cold," Ryan Doidge said. "I get out, get that boat. We try to get that- I come back. He's under. My Nana said that Papa said that 'I give up.' "
Emergency responders found Doidge about seven to 10 feet below the water. They estimate he'd been in the pond about 40 minutes. He died on his way to the hospital.
"Dad was hard-working, retired Navy guy, still logging," said the victim's son Roby Doidge.
Robert Doidge was also an avid cyclist. He raced the 'Seattle to Portland' race for nine years and once he even continued a ride to San Francisco.
Robert Doidge had three children, six grand children, and two great grand babies.