Editor's note: This article has been updated to include cause of death and also reflect a correction: Peter Dougherty's kayak was found on the beach late Saturday.
Funeral services for the 24-year-old Port Washington man who died while kayaking over the weekend will be held on Friday at in Port.
Friends and family members remember Peter Dougherty for his love of the outdoors, and told Fox6News the fact that he died while doing something he loves offers a bit of peace.
"Pete found peace on the water or hiking on the beach," his obituary says. "It was where he felt most complete and part of the universe."
The official cause of Dougherty's death was drowning caused by hypothermia, according to Port Washington Police Chief Kevin Hingiss.
Witnesses called emergency personnel after noticing Dougherty in the water, about 300 yards east of the lighthouse Saturday afternoon. personnel pulled Dougherty into a rescue craft and administered CPR, according to a press release from the . He was transported by ambulance to Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The release also states that it appears the man was kayaking and no other people were involved.
The first report of the incident came in about 11:44 a.m., according to FOX6 News, when four people spotted the man flailing in the water. They called the fire department, which in turn dispatched its boat.
The man was wearing rubber boots when he was pulled out of the water.
An area south of the Port Marina — called South Beach — is popular with kayakers; in the parking lot by South Beach is where police found Dougherty's car with equipment to carry a kayak, FOX6 reports.
Dougherty's kayak was later found on Lake Michigan shoreline by Port residents, Port Fire Chief Mark Mitchell said. Dougherty's family has since recovered the boat.
Dougherty was a kayaking instructor, a lifeguard and an Eagle Scout; he graduated from Port Washington High School in 2006.
Visitation hours are from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, with a funeral service starting at 7 p.m. at Eernisse Funeral Home, 1600 W. Grand Ave. In lieu of flowers, memorials are appreciated, the obituary says. Online condolences can be left on the funeral home's website.
