Saturday, March 8, 2008, was a beautiful day. The skies were clear, no forecast for rain. The temperature was a little on the cool side - mid 40F. It was a perfect day for fishing

Kenny Foster and Patrick Wells headed to a nearby boat ramp on the San Bernard River in West Columbia, Texas. It was around 7:00am. They were all set to launch the boat when Kenny's cell phone rang. It was Mike Chaney on the line.

Mike had been surfing his favorite fishing forum, http://tx-sharkfishing.com. He was an avid fisherman, spending most of his weekends on nearby beaches and jetties, dreaming of hooking a big, record-breaking shark, or just enjoying time spent with his many fishing buddies. He told his wife that morning that the ocean was calling him.

 

With that one phone call from Mike, Kenny and Patrick were easily persuaded to alter their own plans on the San Bernard and, instead, join Mike for a mini-road trip to Port O'Connor, located in Matagorda County, an hour  and a half drive from Angleton.

It's a really beautiful spot of beach there. Mike and the rest of the Texas Shark Fishing crew had a favored spot there that they had nicknamed 'Sand Dollar Beach' so that the location would be kept secret from other fishermen in the area. Mike had only discovered it a few weekends previous, the 23rd and 24th of February. This was to be his second time fishing the area. On the first trip, he and about 8 other men hauled 3 boats to the area. It was a great day for the group. Mike caught the first fish, a black drum they had dubbed 'big ugly' and the name fit perfectly. Kenny caught one soon after, and 'the bite was on.' They spent the entire weekend fishing and just hanging out.

They were really excited about the trip and looking forward to a repeat of that weekend in February.

 

Kenny and Patrick retied the boat to the trailer and headed back to Patrick's parent's house to meet up with Mike, and a few hours later the guys pulled up at Froggie's Bait Shop in Port O'Connor, launched the boat, and headed out to Sand Dollar Beach.

The guys arrived there about 1:00pm. There were no trees on the beach to tie the boat to, so they just dropped anchor a few feet out and spent a few hours walking the beach, searching for sand dollars, and getting their rods ready for the night. They usually baited up and left their lines in the water overnight. They planned to do most of their fishing the next day.

Around 7:00pm the three men decided to go ahead and start setting up camp for the night. Kenny noticed that the tide was starting to come in and beamed a spotlight toward the spot where they'd left the boat. The boat was drifting away.

Mike loved that boat. His father had given it to him and it was one of his most valued possessions.

He immediately started running toward the shoreline, intent on rescuing his boat. Kenny and Patrick tried to talk him out of going after it, saying the Coast Guard would get the boat back for them, it could wait until morning. But Mike wouldn't be deterred. He told Kenny, "Close your eyes, I'm stripping," and by the time he got to the edge of the water he was naked. He kept his hat on, with a headlight attached to it, and started swimming toward the boat, about 150 yards from the beach. Kenny kept his spotlight trained on Mike, but after a few minutes he was out of sight of the beam. His headlight could be seen bobbing in and out of the swells. They heard Mike shouting something but he was too far away to be distinct.
 

Both Patrick and Kenny tried to go after Mike but the water was too cold and the currents were brutal. Kenny was waist-deep in the water and Patrick was neck deep when it became impossible for the men to continue. Kenny had to help Patrick out of the water.

Back on the beach, Kenny immediately called 911.

The Coast Guard arrived but the rescue boat was on the other side of the island. Kenny, still on the phone with 911, began signaling the boat with his spotlight, and finally, 27 minutes after Kenny made the initial call to 911, Mike was pulled from the water. The boat zoomed out.
 

Around 8:15pm, Kenny called the Coast Guard to try to get some information about Mike's condition. The dispatcher he spoke to would not tell him anything.

Hours passed, and no one, not Kenny or any of Mike's family, could get any information, aside from a vague report from a Coast Guard dispatcher that Mike had a pulse, and a little while later another report that Mike was breathing.

Around midnight, Kenny got a call from the Coast Guard saying they would be picked up in 15 minutes. They collected all their gear and waited. Another half hour passed before a boat arrived.

Kenny and Patrick were taken to the Coast Guard station. Both men were questioned about the events of the day. Kenny was asked if Mike had received a head injury at any time during the day.

And then Kenny was requested to make a formal identification of Mike's body.

Michael Robert Chaney, age 37, was declared dead at 10:30pm, March 8, 2008.

Mike's wife and children, his parents, his brother and sister, and his many friends are devastated by his death.

He left behind 5 children. Meagan Nicole, age 17. Jordyn Leigh, age 15. Seth Michael, age 7. Samuel Robert, age 5. Robert Evan, 8 months old.

 

He and his wife, Georgette, were high school sweethearts. They'd been together 23 years

Mike provided the financial stability for the family. Although Georgette also works full-time, Mike was the major contributor. Without his considerable income, his family faces overwhelming hardship in the years to come.

We are imploring you, the world, to help this family. Please, if you can donate even one dollar to the Michael Chaney Memorial Fund, it would be one dollar closer to securing a stable home for his wife and 5 children.

We accept donations from Visa, Mastercard, personal check, and PayPal. A donation can be made to the Texas Dow Employees Credit Union, care of the Michael Chaney Memorial Fund, account number 2073017-0. Or you can send a contribution directly to the family. The address is 256 TrailRide Road, Angleton, Texas, 77515.

We appreciate the time you have taken to view this site. Please spread the word to your friends and neighbors about this family in crisis.

God bless you.