Father, son drown while ice fishing

Two President Avenue residents drowned while ice fishing in Upper Freehold last week.

By: Cara Latham
   UPPER FREEHOLD — From hiking and camping to sledding and skating, George Eaton, 82, and his son, Bryan, 45, loved outdoor sports of all kind.
   The Lawrence Township men, who lived on President Avenue, drowned Friday in the Assunpink Lake. Lovers of ice fishing, they were on their last fishing trip of the winter season when thin ice gave out beneath them and tragedy occurred.
   "If there was a way for them to go, that was definitely it," said Sharon Moore, George Eaton’s daughter and Bryan Eaton’s sister. "Ice fishing was their passion."
   State police were called to the lake at 10:30 p.m. Friday and "were met by a gentleman who said his father-in-law and brother-in-law had gone out ice fishing earlier in the morning," said Sgt. Jeanne Hengemuhle, of the state police. "When they didn’t return, he went out there and found their vehicle," but could not find them, she said.
   State troopers from the Hamilton station and marine services, the state Division of Fish and Wildlife, Hope Fire Company, Allentown First Aid Squad, and the state police’s Aviation Bureau searched for the two men until 2 a.m. But because of "hazardous circumstances," due to weather and water conditions, the search was called off until 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Sgt. Hengemuhle said.
   The next morning, the rescue crews found the two men 40 yards off the shoreline, and a quarter mile southwest of the lake’s northwest entrance, Sgt. Hengemuhle said. Bryan Eaton was pronounced dead at 10:42 a.m., and George Eaton was pronounced dead at 10:50 a.m., she said. State police Crime Scene and Criminal Investigative units, the Monmouth County prosecutor’s office and the Monmouth County medical examiner’s office also responded to the scene Saturday, she added.
   An autopsy report concluded Sunday that the two men died of "asphyxiation due to drowning and hypothermia," Sgt. Hengemuhle said. "No signs of suspicious activity were found."
   Police did not have details of the conditions of the ice or how the men fell into the lake, Sgt. Hengemuhle said.
   Ms. Moore said "what I assume is that they were drilling their holes, and I guess one of them was a little too far out." Ms. Moore did say she heard the two men were in a spot of ice where the ice wasn’t as thick as it was further down the lake.
   The pair had gone out to the lake numerous times during the winter and were returning one last time, she said.
   She said they traveled often, going up to New York state every year to go yacht fishing. They also loved golfing, playing cards and playing Scrabble — all of which were family activities in the household.
   "Growing up, we always traveled together," she said. "As we got older and got to be adults, it would be my brother, father and my mother that would go up to New York on trips."
   The two men and Ms. Moore’s mother loved to play Scrabble every night, she added.
   "My brother was always next to my dad," she said. "He was right there all the time. They were best buds."
   But the Eaton men were not only known for their love of outdoor sports and family gatherings, but would do anything for anybody, Ms. Moore said. They took care of an elderly next-door neighbor by performing work on her house, getting her medicine for her and taking her out to dinner — for her birthday, as well as bringing her with them for family birthdays — among other things.
   "They were just very giving people," she said. "Every one of my father’s friends who I talked to and gave the news to said that my father was just a very caring individual."
   George Eaton also served in World War II as a Marine, and Bryan Eaton was an "avid cook" — especially exotic cooking — but never wanted to specialize in it because "he was afraid he’d lose his zest for it," Ms. Moore said.
   "It was just a tragedy, and everyone’s in shock," she said.
Mass for George and Bryan Eaton will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, March 16, at St. Hedwig’s Church, 865 Brunswick Ave., Trenton. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that people make memorial contributions to Paralyzed Veterans of America.