Pittsburgh firefighter dies while on family vacation

A Pittsburgh firefighter who died on a family vacation in Ohio over the weekend has saved dozens of lives even in death, his family said Monday.

Lee Weber, 38, drowned in Lake Erie on Saturday in Conneaut, Ohio, according to Pittsburgh fire and public safety officials.

Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire lost one of their own. Firefighter Lee Weber died on July 24, 2021 in Conneaut, Ohio. Pittsburgh Public Safety offers our deepest condolences to the family of Firefighter Weber. He will solely be missed for his dedication to the citizens of Pittsburgh.

— Pgh Public Safety (@PghPublicSafety) July 26, 2021

Family member Krystle Collavo Granite wrote publicly on Facebook and a Go Fund Me page that Weber was an organ donor, and his organs went to dozens of people.

Conneaut Fire Chief Steven Lee said his department received a call for help about 1:10 p.m. near the west break wall gap in Conneaut Harbor. The initial call, he said, was for two people in distress.

Before rescue crews arrived, a child was pulled from the water by a nearby boat, Lee said. Weber was pulled from the water about an hour later after he was spotted by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter from Detroit. He was taken to University Hospitals Conneaut Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

On the Go Fund Me page set up for Weber’s wife, Amber, and their two sons, Granite wrote that Weber got caught in the lake’s tide while trying to get one of his son’s to safety. She wrote that her husband, Weber’s cousin, tried in vain to find him.

Coast Guard helicopters spotted his body about an hour later.

It is with a heavy heart and deep sadness that we announce the passing of active firefighter and Local No. 1 member Lee Weber. FF Weber tragically passed away this weekend while vacationing with his family. Please see the GoFund me below for more info. https://t.co/pBEf18JN7C

— Pittsburgh Fire Fighters (@PghFireFighters) July 25, 2021

“He worked hard to support his family and wanted his wife and children to have the best of everything,” Granite wrote. “Amber and the boys were the loves of his life.”

The Go Fund Me page had received just under $40,000 as of Monday afternoon.

“As gut-wrenching as this is,” Granite wrote, “he would want us to continue to live, laugh, and love, (the) way he did.”

Funeral arrangements have not yet been set.