PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — It was a hot summer day when Andy Inskeep — a youth pastor at Ridgefield Church of the Nazarene — took a walk with a group of teens and youth sponsors along a beach near where the Columbia and Hood rivers meet.
The water at the Marina Beach Sandbar on August 5 was just knee-deep when things suddenly changed.
The sand beneath the group shifted and gave way. The water got deeper and Andy and a youth volunteer ran in and started getting students to safety while other kids ran to call 911. But two people would never return to shore.
“When it came down to the final student who was in the water, there was a windsurfer who had come up to save Andy and Andy said no, go get the teen who was struggling,” said Maria Swinger-Inskeep, Andy’s wife.
That teen survived. But by the time the windsurfer returned to the area, Andy was gone.
Meanwhile, a youth volunteer swam against the current to try to reach 11-year-old Brandan Raley. Despite the effort, Brandan drowned. He was found at the mouth of the White Salmon River and later pronounced dead at a hospital. Boaters found Andy’s body the next evening.
Loved ones and members of Ridgefield Church of the Nazarene are mourning their loss. But they’re also honoring the impact they both made on the lives they touched.
Brandan would have turned 12 last week. His parents described him as an authentic soul who was a best friend to many people.
“He was sweet and had a pure heart and loved the Lord,” said his mom, Kris Raley.
Kris told KOIN 6 News her son had been on a retreat with a friend who went to Ridgefield Church of the Nazarene. The retreat was for middle school students who had to miss out on summer camp, which was cancelled due to the pandemic.
The day he died, Brandan had gone to explore the Ice Caves in the area with the group as a way to beat the heat. On their way back, they decided to check out a dry sandbar for about 15 minutes before heading back in for dinner.
“There was no intention of getting in the water at all,” Kris said. “The sand shifted and the undertow pulled them down… all of sudden, they were in the water.”
Amid the days of grief that have followed, Brandan’s family and Andy’s wife have come to realize their lost loved ones had many things in common: namely a love for God and an inclusive spirit.
“Brandan has had Jesus in his heart since he was five and he lived it by reaching out to people and being a friend and making sure everyone was included and Andy did likewise,” said Brandan’s dad Jim Raley.
“Brandan was also a person who would make sure there were no outsiders — that he would show love to everybody — which is the type of person Andy was,” said Maria. “Andy loved people and he valued relationships with people. He not only showed that through his words but he mostly showed it through his actions and I think that was quite evident in the way he died which was giving up his life so another youth could live.”
A GoFundMe was set up to support Brandan’s family and a memorial scholarship benefiting students was launched in Andy’s name.
As they learn to navigate life without their son, Jim and Kris have been wrapped in support and the prayers of their church families.
“In a world filled with chaos and anger and hatred and fear, God is still present for those who seek Him,” said Jim.