Joey Drawbaugh was the kind of guy who still held hands with his wife after 17 years of marriage and let local fire departments onto his tow-truck lot to practice Jaws of Life training on wrecked cars.
On a family vacation in Nebraska on Saturday, the Parker man’s fast-moving speedboat flipped over and broke apart on Lake McConaughy, killing the 42-year-old and sending his wife and two children to the hospital.
Grieving family traveling to Colorado from across the country described Drawbaugh as a man who put his family first.
“We thank God that his wife and two wonderful children survived,” said sister Laurie Drawbaugh of Aurora, fighting back tears.
“I just know Joey would have wanted it that way. If it had to be any of them, he would have wanted it to be him.”
Nebraska Game and Parks Boating Officer Scott Eveland said witness statements suggest the 28-foot boat experienced a mechanical failure before it flipped.
Drawbaugh’s wife, Sue, his 15-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son were moved from an Ogallala, Neb., hospital to a Denver hospital, where relatives said they were recovering well.
Though authorities say fishermen responded quickly to recover the family from the wreckage, Drawbaugh died at the lake of his injuries.
A businessman and the youngest of five children, Drawbaugh was the kind of guy you’d call in a pinch, his sisters said.
“He was loving and giving. He was a man of integrity,” sister Barbara Stanfield of Georgia said.
“Even when he was young, he was always looking out for someone else.”
Jessica Fender: 303-954-1244 or jfender@denverpost.com
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
