LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana (KPLC) – On Sunday, August 18, Joseph Dugas was swimming with his family when he was pulled underwater by a rip current in the Calcasieu River south of Kinder.

Now his family is talking about the dangers of the water.

“Joey, he’s really going to be missed in the community, you know, he had the biggest heart of any person I’ve ever known. He’s just a wonderful friend,” said his lifelong friend Brandon Fitkin.

Dugas was a devoted father and husband. He worked as a process operator and helped coach baseball.

His family remembers him as a selfless joker.

“I think the reason God took him early is because God needed someone to make him laugh,” Fitkin said.

When the tragedy occurred on August 18, Dugas was surrounded by his family.

They tried to pull him out of the water, but ultimately they were unsuccessful.

“The current comes out of nowhere there and there are really no signs. I think people go there all the time just to swim and have fun. You know, like Penni said, he wasn’t Michael Phelps, but he could swim and he was a man in good shape who got pulled under the water,” said Colisse Dupont.

Collisse Dupont is Dugas’ nephew and says he was always willing to lend a hand.

Another lifelong friend, Randall Faulk, says life wouldn’t be the same without him.

“My youngest son has some disabilities and um… every time we would go to an appointment or anything, I would call Joey and we would bounce ideas off each other. He was the first person I would talk to. ‘Hey, how did it go?’ ‘How is everything going?’… It’s just going to be hard not being able to call him,” Faulk said.

Earlier this week, a neighbor of Dugas started a GoFundMe campaign and the response has been incredible.

“I mean, after the first day, it was already $14,000, which was the goal. I mean, it hadn’t even been a full day yet,” Dupont said.

But the community support does not end there, Dupont said.

“So this all came from Kohen, the youngest’s school friend,” Dupont explained.

He is referring to a folder full of heartfelt notes from classmates of Dugas’ son, Kohen.

“This one was from Kohen’s best friend. This is what (Joseph) actually brought on the boat for the first time. It was Tucker,” Faulk said.

Now the family hopes others will be careful around bodies of water and is working to get warning signs posted near the area.

Funeral services for Dugas began today at Johnson Funeral Home. The viewing will end at 8:30 p.m. tonight and continue from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the service at 11:00 a.m.

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