A day of ice fishing should have been a fun way to spend a winter afternoon. But it ultimately led to the death of a couple married for 40 years.
In life, you never know what's going to happen. Something as innocuous as pulling out of your driveway five minutes sooner or later can be the difference between life and death. It's just one of life's many unknowns. But a family is reeling from two tragedies to close out their year.
Scott Levitan and his wife Marylou, a couple married for 40 years, both died within days of each other in separate accidents. 66-year-old Scott Levitan decided to take his 15-year-old son ice fishing at Lake George in Michigan on December 26. But Scott would never return home. Sadly, the lake on the ice was thinning out, and Scott ended up going into the icy waters while ice fishing.
His grandson immediately called emergency services to assist with saving his grandfather. He also tried to rescue the 66-year-old but ended up falling into the lake himself. Fortunately, someone else was on the lake while they were ice fishing. The bystander ended up saving the pair, pulling them out of the lake.
Ice Fishing Deaths
First responders rushed them to the hospital. While the grandson survived, sadly Scott developed hypothermia. He spent several days in the hospital before passing away on December 31.
A long-time friend of the ice fishing grandfather, Jamie Izzo mourned his loss while speaking to WXYZ. He said, "One of the best human beings I've ever met in my life. Just a great friend."
"The kids loved him. He was a great teacher. If I could remember, one of his lines was exactly, 'Don't mistake my being nice for being weak,'" he recalled.
Meanwhile, South Lyon head football coach Jeff Henson also spoke out about Scott. He said, "When I came here, I didn't know anybody. Coach Levitan was the first person that kind of befriended me and became one of my biggest supporters."
Unfortunately, the ice fishing tragedy doesn't stop there. Scott's wife Marylou also passed away while he was in the hospital. She had gone to retrieve her husband's car from the lake when she got into a car accident. The crash sadly killed her.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard mourned the loss of both.
"This is an unspeakable tragedy that has befallen on this family in a very short time," he said. "Two tragic and unrelated incidents with 24 hours of each other. It's hard to wrap your hands around it. Our prayers are with the family."
