Windsor Locks father hailed as hero after dying while saving son from rip current at Florida beach
A father from Windsor Locks is being remembered as a loving father and a hero. Jason “Jay” DeGray, 42, drowned rescuing his son from a rip current at a Florida beach last week, and now his coworkers and friends back in Connecticut are paying tribute to him.
“He was the model of the American dad. He wanted to make sure his family was good,” Johnny Bright, a co-worker, said.
A family he knew very well. Bright was a close friend and co-worker of DeGray at Cutting Edge Installations in Enfield.
“A funny guy. Down to earth. Never wants confrontation. Always wants to see people do good,” Bright said.
The two installed floors together day in and day out, building more than just a working relationship.
“He tries to keep the morale high. He’s a good, funny guy. He keeps the music going,” Bright said.
Now, there’s solemn silence at work. DeGray died last Tuesday after drowning at Cocoa Beach, Florida, about an hour east of Orlando. Police said he and another woman were trying to rescue children caught in a rip current, including his 12-year-old son, who made it out safely, along with the other kids. DeGray and the woman did not make it.
“He saved his son so he ain’t dying in vain, because he always said he would die for his kids and he truly meant that,” Bright said.
Cutting Edge Installations in a Facebook post called DeGray a “true hero” and a father who always put his family first. The company’s owner said he brought that same dedication to his work.
“He worked hard, and he was meticulous. He did a great job, and we are sorely going to miss that,” Brenda Duggan, president and owner of Cutting Edge Installations, said.
Bright and the entire Cutting Edge team have been in touch with DeGray’s wife and children, doing whatever they can to support the family. DeGray’s funeral is set for Friday in Windsor Locks.
“I just hope God gives them the power and the will and the strength to get through it day by day,” he said.
From breaking news and local politics to art exhibitions, live music, high school sports, small businesses, and cultural events, we celebrate the people and places that make Connecticut unique.