Utah father remembered for helping others before fatal lightning strike in Florida

SALT LAKE CITY — Family and friends are remembering a Utah husband, father and faithful friend after he was killed by a lightning strike while helping stranded boaters during a sudden storm off the coast of Florida.

Steve Matheson had traveled to Florida for work and extended his stay by a few days to spend time with his childhood best friend, David Cole.

The two had been inseparable since they were 4 years old. Their friendship endured through sports, school and church, remaining strong into adulthood.

"It's shocking and heartbreaking," Cole said. "I just love him, and I miss him."

On Aug. 29, the longtime friends headed to the ocean to go on jet skis. Cole said he checked the weather before the outing and found no indication that severe storms were in the forecast.

"I never go to the beach without checking the weather first," he said. "So I checked on Friday, and it's clear skies, partly cloudy skies, no storms."

The friends spent part of the day exploring the water and stopping for lunch on a nearby island. Cole recalled Matheson marveling at the scenery.

"He kept saying, 'Thank you, Dave, for doing this for me,'" Cole said. "'I've never seen anything so beautiful with my own eyes. This looks like a computer screensaver.'"

But the weather soon changed.

While on the island, the two noticed dark clouds building in the distance. After checking radar, Cole saw a severe thunderstorm warning.

"At that point, he looks over and we see these black clouds off, really far off," Cole said. "And he said, 'Those are pretty dark. Do you think we should head back?'"

Minutes later, temperatures dropped, and winds began pushing the storm toward them. Cole said the pair decided to leave immediately, not to challenge the weather but to get home safely.

"He did not want to ride into a storm, to cheat death or anything like that," Cole said. "He was only thinking, 'I need to get back to my wife and my children.'"

As they made their way back, they encountered a boat stuck on a sandbar. Despite worsening conditions, Matheson stopped to help.

"He had this look in his eyes like, 'I'm going to help, but what should we do?'" Cole recalled. The men worked to assist the stranded boaters as the storm intensified around them.

"We were helping them in the midst of this massive storm," Cole said. "I don't know if I've been a part of a bigger storm. I've been in hurricanes, and some of these pop-up cells are stronger than hurricanes."

Moments after helping the boaters, tragedy struck. Cole said he saw a lightning bolt hit Matheson and the water nearby.

"Then I saw this big lightning bolt strike him and the water right beside him, and I was in shock," he said.

At first, Cole believed his friend had narrowly escaped.

"He was still standing for three seconds after the lightning strike," he said. "And I said, 'Okay, that's a really close call. He didn't get hit.' And then all of a sudden he goes limp and falls over face first into the water."

Cole jumped in and attempted to save him.

"All I could think of is — he's face down. He's going to drown," he said. "I flipped him and I saw his beautiful hazel eyes, but he looked lifeless."

Cole performed CPR in the water while waiting for help, but Matheson could not be saved.

For those who knew him, there was meaning in the fact that Matheson's final moments were spent helping someone else.

"For him to be serving somebody and helping somebody moments before his passing, that was very fitting," his cousin Marianne Shuman said.

Loved ones described Matheson as a devoted husband and father whose family was always his top priority.

"Steve was a family man, and they were his number one," Shuman said. "He was a very hands-on dad." The loss has been especially difficult for his wife and children.

"The 9-year-old says, 'Who am I going to play catch with now?'" Shuman shared.

Those closest to Matheson said he lived his faith through service rather than words.

"He loved Jesus. He was a man of faith," Shuman said. "He wanted people to know that, but not necessarily through words. He wanted people to know that through his actions."

Friends said Matheson was a natural encourager who always focused on others.

"He wanted to focus on other people and be involved in their life and what's going on," Shuman said. "He was a big cheerleader for pretty much everybody."

As family and friends continue to mourn, they said they hope Matheson will be remembered for the same qualities that defined his life: faith, kindness, service and an unwavering devotion to the people he loved. An online fundraiser was set up to help his wife, Abbie, and their four children.

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