Family of free diver lost in spearfishing accident to host memorial event Sunday in Jupiter
An event memorializing a former Palm Beach resident who died in a spearfishing accident this past Mother's Day will be held Sunday in Jupiter.
A Memorial Paddle Out for Virgil M. Price III will celebrate the life of the well-known free diver who went missing May 12 while exploring a World War II shipwreck off the coast of Jensen Beach .
U.S. Coast Guard officials launched a search for the West Palm Beach resident but suspended it the following evening. The agency reported a search of more than 1,415 miles and 36 hours, according to TCPalm.com . His body has not been recovered.
Price, a graduate of the Benjamin School in North Palm Beach, was an experienced freediver and instructor with Florida Freedivers, a sporting goods store in North Palm Beach, his family said. From an early age he was drawn to music, wildlife and the ocean, and he also played numerous instruments including piano, bass guitar, and mandolin, his family said.
Kate Cerasaro, Price's mother, said her son was an avid outdoorsman and "Renaissance guy" who went alligator hunting, collected World War II and Civil War artifacts, played in a band, made homemade alligator stew, and taught surfing, diving and spearfishing.
"He would take all these kids out — he called them his 'Lost Boys' — and they'd go to Munyon Island and they would build bonfires and have cookouts, things that people don't do anymore," she said. "I said to somebody, if anybody thinks that Virgil's going to grow up and put on a blue blazer and be a preppy Palm Beacher, it's never going to happen. Somebody's going to have to fall in love with somebody who lives in board shorts and loves animals."
Sunday's event will give participants the opportunity to share stories and celebrate Price's life, said his sister, Brit Drozda.
Price would have turned 40 on Saturday.
"Virgil's lighthearted spirit touched so many lives," Drozda said. "If you happened to cross his path, we would love for you to be there to share the day with us."
Participants will gather at the Anita Lenkler Pavilion at Ocean Cay Park, 2188 Marcinski Road, beginning at 11 a.m. A paddle out led by William Kimball of Bluewater Surfing is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Participants must bring their own boards. Those who do not want to paddle are encouraged to celebrate Price's life with flowers at the pier, Drozda said.
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Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News , part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at . Help support our journalism. Subscribe today .
