Grand Haven Tribune
SPRING LAKE, Mich. — Officials have positively identified the man who died in a boat fire at a Spring Lake marina this past weekend as 45-year-old David Richard Knisley.
Knisley, a lieutenant on the Grand Rapids Fire Department, owned the boat that was destroyed by fire early Sunday morning.
Ottawa County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. David Start worked with a forensic odontologist to make the determination, said Capt. Mark Bennett of the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department. Start also determined that Knisley died from smoke inhalation as the result of the fire.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Bennett said.
Firefighters responded to the boat fire at Barrett Boat Works, 821 W. Savidge St., shortly after 5 a.m. Sunday. The 36-foot boat was fully aflame when firefighters arrived, according to Spring Lake Township Fire Chief Brian Sipe.
Firefighters extinguished the fire, but the boat sank to the bottom at its dock.
Workers from Tow Boat USA worked all day Sunday to float the boat and bring it to shore before it could be determined whether or not the missing owner was inside.
Capt. John Wolffis of the Sheriff’s Department confirmed Sunday evening that there was a body in the boat.
Friends and relatives clustered in small groups around the marina all day Sunday, waiting for some indication of whether or not their missing friend was inside the sunken vessel. They declined to talk to media at the time, referring all questions to police.
Wolffis said the boat owner was last seen between 12:30 and 1 a.m. Sunday when he told someone that he was returning to his boat. Nobody had contact with him since that time and his vehicle was still in the marina parking lot.
“Whenever you lose someone that you know has your back when you go into a tough situation, it’s a big loss,” Bruce Veldkamp, a Grand Rapids battalion fire chief said Monday while waiting for confirmation of Knisley’s death.
“He was just a good guy,” said Jody Schaendorf of Black Gold Transport. “Sometimes when we were downtown (Grand Rapids) paving streets, he’d stop by to say hello.”
Schaendorf said Knisley was an announcer at motocross events that he and his son attended.
“When you were done with the race, he’d come sit down with you by the bonfire,” Schaendorf said. “He was always cordial and good with the kids.”
Kim Carson, an announcer for WLAV-FM in Grand Rapids, said she witnessed Knisely’s wealth of knowledge on a different subject. The two co-hosted a classic cars event on a public access channel.
“This guy was like a walking encyclopedia when it came to classic cars,” Carson said.
As a firefighter would, Carson said Knisely always had her back.
“When you’re doing a live show, you have to have somebody who has your back,” she said. “I could relax so easily because, even if I stumble, he was always there to pick me up.”
Whether it was cars or firefighting, colleagues say Knisely loved to share.
“He loved to pass that training on to others,” Veldkamp said.
There are grief counselors available to any firefighters in need.
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