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Westport Mourns Drowning Death Of Husband Of Town Employee

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — The body pulled from the waters of Long Island Sound off the coast of Fairfield on Thursday has been tentatively identified as a kayaker who went missing on June 12, according to police and the Connecticut Post.

Shigemune Mori

Shigemune Mori

Photo Credit: YouCaring
Fairfield police wait with the body of a man who washed up on shore Thursday afternoon.

Fairfield police wait with the body of a man who washed up on shore Thursday afternoon.

Photo Credit: Meredith Guinness

Two young girls made the grim discovery when they spotted the body floating at the edge of the water just steps away from beach houses along Fairfield Beach Road about 2:15 p.m., police said.

The man's body was recovered and taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, police said. 

Police believe the man is Shigemune Mori, 32, who was last seen in the water with no lifejacket after he was tossed from an inflatable kayak on a windy afternoon. The other man on the 14-foot inflatable raft with Mori swam safely to shore after it capsized off Seaside Park.

The Coast Guard, with the help of marine police from Bridgeport, Fairfield and Stratford, combed the waters of the Sound for Mori unsuccessfully for a few days before the search was called off. 

Mori's death was confirmed by the town of Westport on its Facebook page. 

"It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Shigemune Mori, the husband of Yoshi Mori, who works for the Department of Human Services," the post said. "Yoshi is the nutrition coordinator at the Westport Center for Senior Activities and is responsible for both the congregate and home delivered meal programs." 

The couple has two daughters, ages 4 and 7, and are expecting a third daughter in October. 

A fund has been established by her church to assist Yoshi Mori with expenses and her move "during this most difficult period following her husband’s untimely death," the post said. 

Donations can be made at a YouCaring website or checks can be dropped off at the Westport Center for Senior Activities, 21 Imperial Ave., Westport.

A service is planned for Saturday, July 2, at 11 a.m. at Lester Gee Funeral Home, 1390 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport.

A post at the YouCaring website thanked the community for the "tremendous outpouring of prayer, support, and love given to the Mori family." 

They also thanked the Coast Guard and the Bridgeport Police and Fire departments, as well as neighboring search and rescue teams, for their efforts in the search. 

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