Carl J. Robinette II died helping to save a boy from drowning, McBee, South Carolina, April 26, 2020. The boy, 13, student, was wading on a sandbar in about 3 feet of water in Lake Robinson when the 18-foot boat on which he had been a passenger drifted about 70 feet away. Alarmed, the boy waded then swam toward the boat and struggled in water about 8 feet deep. Meanwhile, the boat’s pilot had re-started the boat and moved toward others in the water, leaving the boy about 50 feet from the boat. He frantically treaded water. Robinette, 48, internet sales and marketing manager, was one of several adults on the boat who saw the boy struggling. Robinette dove into the water and swam to the boy, grasped him from behind, pushed him so that his head remained above water, and moved them toward the sandbar. Another man, 27, had also jumped into the water and, after helping other swimmers back to the boat, swam toward Robinette and the boy. While en route, someone threw a life vest to him, and he held it in front of him while swimming toward the boy. Reaching the pair, the man handed the life vest to the boy and then helped him back to the boat, where others helped the boy aboard. The adults then realized that Robinette, who had stopped swimming, had submerged. Someone on the boat called 911 while others entered the water in an unsuccessful search for Robinette until first responders arrived. The boy was frightened and tired, but otherwise unharmed. Department of Natural Resources divers recovered Robinette’s body the next day, near where he submerged, in about 8 feet of water. He had drowned.
91448-10281Obituary
Carl Robinette Jr., 48, of Hartsville, South Carolina, died on April 26, 2020 saving a boy from drowning in McBee, South Carolina.
Robinette, internet sales and marketing manager, was one of several adults on the boat who saw the boy struggling. Robinette dove into the water and swam to the boy, grasped him from behind, pushed him so that his head remained above water, and moved them toward the sandbar.
Another man, 27, had also jumped into the water and, after helping other swimmers back to the boat, swam toward Robinette and the boy. While en route, someone threw a life vest to him, and he held it in front of him while swimming toward the boy. Reaching the pair, the man handed the life vest to the boy and then helped him back to the boat, where others helped the boy aboard. The adults then realized that Robinette, who had stopped swimming, had submerged.
Department of Natural Resources divers recovered Robinette’s body the next day, near where he submerged, in about 8 feet of water. He had drowned.
Carl was born in Logan, West Virginia.
He was predeceased by his sister Carla Ramirez. He is survived by his parents, Carl Junior Robinette Sr. and Linda Lou Maynard; his parents-in-law, Alice and Sam; his son Dallon Robinette; his brother Tony Robinette; his niece Lucy Robinette; and his step-sisters, Valerie Hicks of Sherry Conn and Kathy Clemons.
Carl “C. J.” Robinette Jr. Obituary (1971 – 2020) | Hartsville, SC (echovita.com)