Wife of Maine father who died saving his children opens up about their ‘love story’

Local News

Ryan Jennings, 46, drowned on April 1, while rescuing two of his children from a Florida riptide.

Ryan and Emily Jennings and their three children at his parents’ home near Jupiter Beach in Florida. Emily Jennings

The wife of a Maine father who drowned while saving two of his children from a powerful Florida riptide is sharing their “love story,” posting a Wednesday tribute that reflects on their life together and the moments that defined him.

Ryan Jennings, 46, of North Yarmouth, died on April 1 after a sudden riptide tore through Juno Beach, pulling him and his children into deep water. He managed to push his 12-year-old son toward shore and lift his 9-year-old daughter above his head. Both children survived.

“Of course, Ryan left this world in a heroic way,” Emily wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday. “There was no other way for a real-life angel like him to go.”

There are two GoFundMe pages for the family. One is from The Greg Hill Foundation, which has raised close to $12,000, and another is from a family friend, who has raised over $230,000.

In the post, Emily Jennings shared that she met Ryan 12 years ago while she was a single mom attending nursing school.

Maine father dies after saving his children from a rip current

After receiving devastating news that her apartment had caught on fire, Ryan stepped in and offered her and her then-toddler son shelter.

Soon, the two “fell madly in love and became a family.”

They eventually settled in North Yarmouth, Maine, and welcomed two children, now 9 and 6. She is now expecting her fourth child.

However, Ryan’s life wasn’t always idyllic. Emily said that “he had his own demons.”

On April 1, 26 years ago, Ryan’s pancreas ruptured, and doctors revived him nine times. After spending months in a medical coma, he made a full recovery but became addicted to pain medications.

Eventually, he turned himself around and began to work in the addiction recovery field.

Over the years, he was a devoted father and offered grace and healing to those in recovery, Emily said.

“Ryan lives on in every life he touched,” Emily wrote. “I feel him all around me. He will always be my husband, and he will always be their dad.”

Read the full post below:

Beth Treffeisen is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on local news, crime, and business in the New England region.

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