Funerals arrangements have been made for the two men who drowned Tuesday in a rafting accident on the Arkansas River.
A viewing for Tom Spicknall, 36, of Centennial will be from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at the Horan & McConaty Funeral Home at 5303 East County Line Road in Centennial. His funeral will be 10 a.m. Saturday at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 7681 S. University Blvd., in Centennial .
A funeral for Jimmy Nakama, 40, of Littleton will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Littleton United Methodist Church, 5894 S. Datura St., in Littleton.
Spicknall was a “jack of all trades” who loved to have adventures, said Suzan Stewart, his sister.
“He loved to get that adrenaline rush,” she said. “He jumped out of planes, dove off of cliffs, everything.”
Spicknall is survived by his sister, parents, other family members and friends, and his pit bull, Baby Girl.
Stewart said that a rafting trip was one of the things on her brother’s “bucket list.”
“That was in his bucket to kick, and he got it done,” she said. “It was one of the things he wanted to do before he died.”
Stewart said her family is not angry with David Buckley, a veteran rafter and co-worker of Spicknall and Nakama who led the trip.
“He didn’t mean to — it’s not like he planned to do this,” she said. “I can only imagine what he’s going through. He took four people rafting, and two of them died.”
Stewart said her family planned to speak with Buckley on the phone Thursday evening.
“We have to close that book, and for us to do that, we have to talk to him,” she said. “We want to hear what actually happened. Just tell us what happened.”
From reading her brother’s e-mails sent to Buckley and Nakama before the accident, Stewart said she could see her brother’s excitement and possible anxiety about his upcoming rafting trip.
“The last e-mail he sent said, ‘I think I’m going to have to pray that everything will be all right before I go tomorrow,’ ” she said. “I thought, if you have to pray, why did you go?”
Claire Trageser: 303-954-1638 or ctrageser@denverpost.com
