Air Force veteran who died on Hatteras Island remembered as doting father

Sean Chung with his wife and daughter. [GoFundMe]

A Falls Church, Virginia man who apparently drowned while surf fishing on Hatteras Island last week was an Air Force veteran and doting father, family friends say.

At 9:34 p.m. Friday, fellow anglers reported finding a body floating in ocean at the south end of Hatteras Island. Sean Chung, 46, was pulled from the water, but didn’t survive.

Friends of Chung and his wife Michelle Yi have established a GoFundMe to help her deal with final expenses. Friends said Chung was the epitome of a doting father to his 9-year-old daughter.

“A devoted father and husband, Sean always had time for his family. Family was truly everything to him,” the GoFundMe reads.

He was also a proud Air Force veteran who had served overseas.

“Sean always placed others before himself and gladly lent a helping hand whenever it was needed,” the GoFundMe says. “He was a dedicated friend and a kind and giving neighbor.”

Friends say they hope the money raised helps remove any immediate financial worries for Chung’s wife and daughter.

“We want Michelle and Yuna to know that the community can–and will–support them through this challenging time.”

Beachgoers and boaters have been asked to keep an eye out for his custom fishing rod that also disappeared, which local anglers want to get back to his family as a keepsake.