‘An angel’: Friends recall man who died trying to save swimmer in Lake Minnetonka

Friends of Deveric Stokes, also known as DJ, identified him as the man who drowned in Lake Minnetonka while trying to save a woman struggling in the water last week.

The 29-year-old was on a pontoon boat with a group of friends when a woman in their group began to struggle in the water last Thursday.

According to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, one man and two women jumped in to help the swimmer in distress, but the man was the only one in the group not to make it back to the boat safely.

“Every drowning death is a tragedy,” said Sheriff David Hutchinson. “It’s especially sad when someone loses their life attempting to save another. Our sincerest condolences go out to the friends and family.”

"You just missed out on an angel here on Earth,” said Sasha Cassadine, a friend of Stokes. “He changed my life in some really good ways, he was just humble, giving, no matter what someone did to him and he was so kind."

The sheriff’s office searched for Stokes since the incident occurred Thursday, and found him Monday.

Authorities recover body from Lake Minnetonka, believed to be missing swimmer

"Getting that call, I didn’t want to believe it. (I was) hoping it was a dream that I’d wake up from, it’s just hard. I wish a lot of people would have known him,” said Mercedes Iman Diamond, a friend. "He died as a hero, he loved saving other people, protecting other people. That is someone who I will always remember."

Stokes, from the Twin Cities, worked as a sous chef at Hai-Hai in northeast Minneapolis.

The staff posted on social media about their loss saying DJ was "big-hearted" and touched their lives.

The restaurant is planning a private memorial for friends and family in the coming weeks.

A GoFundMe was started to raise funds to cover funeral costs.