50 years later, Sandusky man reflects on brother's drowning

Related: Sandusky firefighters equipped for ice-related rescuesSANDUSKY — Up until Jan. 23, 1967, a waterfront site represented a favorite getaway spot for brothers Dale and John Sartor.The young boys would jaunt from their Sandusky home, at Lincoln and Shelby streets, to hang out at what's now known as the Shelby Street Public Boat Launch.Along with other neighborhood kids, John and Dale would hurl rocks into the water, fish, swim and eat lunch there together.But by venturing to this secluded spot, where trains once rumbled by, they directly disobeyed orders from their parents, Leo and Jeanne."We were forbidden to be down there," Dale said.Exactly 50 years ago from today, John, 9, journeyed down to Sandusky Bay's foot without Dale but with two other neighborhood brothers: Lloyd and Craig Bonderer.Little did Dale knew he'd never see his brother again.Deadly drowningsOn that Monday afternoon, upon coming home from sixth-grade classes at Holy Angels, Dale recalled seeing a strange sight from his front porch."A fire truck was heading north toward the water. That was very unusual," said Dale, who turned 12 on that day and celebrates his 62nd birthday today. "And it was a Perkins Township fire truck, which never happens."So, like any curious young boy would do, Dale trailed the fire truck, which parked at the waterfront site he often visited with John."I ran down there, and it was a day where it was about 60, 65 degrees," said Dale, a 1974 Sandusky High School graduate who also coached football and served as a longtime district administrator. "I came down in just my T-shirt and saw the rescue truck. Inside of it was scuba divers."Not too long beforehand, Perkins Township firefighters had just started the department's first scuba diving program. Dale saw the first responders in special scuba gear plunge deep below the icy waters. Despite warmer-than-usual January weather, the water remained several degrees chiller than surface-level temperatures.Dale began assembling the bits and pieces of this incident in his head: Three young boys had walked out onto the ice and fell into the water.After observing the scene for several minutes, Dale sprinted home to retrieve a jacket and head back out.But he didn't return to the scene.Instead he stayed at his house after seeing Jeanne frantically dial a telephone to account for her five children. Dale's four other siblings weren't home at the time."My older brother, Dan, was at basketball practice. Same with my brother Bill. My sister, Susan, was at the high school and on her way home," Dale said. "Then she called the Bonderer home."Dale then vividly remembers a moment from his childhood still haunting him well into adulthood."I heard the most blood-curdling scream of my life. I can still hear it," he said. "It was my mom screaming, having heard a little girl at the other end of the telephone that my brother John and Craig Bonderer and Lloyd Bonderer were walking down by the waterfront."In 1967, two young boys drowned in the Sandusky Bay after walking on to thin ice.A heroic effortBystanders told authorities Lloyd saw a pocket knife and walked out onto the ice to retrieve it. When Lloyd dropped through the ice, John tried rescuing him but met a similar fate.Brothers Dave and Jim Singler, who operated a nearby school bus garage, heard the children crying for help. They rushed to the scene before firefighters could arrive. Robert Riedy also provided assistance at the scene.A Register news article chronicling the situation quoted Dave as saying, "We saw two boys (John and Craig) in the water. Another (Lloyd) had disappeared beneath the ice."Both Dave and Jim dove into the water, breaking a path through the ice to reach the boys.Jim eventually reached both John and Craig. While he pulled Craig to safety, Jim lost his grip on John, who slipped away and ended up drowning to death."It's discouraging," Dave told the Register in a news article published 50 years ago. "You want to kick yourself in the butt for not getting there a minute or so sooner when every second counted. I keep thinking it's a shame we couldn't have got there sooner, and we might have got both of them."Dale couldn't process what happened: His brother was dead."I was just in shock," Dale said. "I was just feeling so many different emotions. I just kept asking myself, 'How could this happen?' The bay was all water instead of that little corner that was just ice."About 45 minutes later, a police officer came to the Sartor household and informed Jeanne, Leo and their children about John's death.The Jan. 23, 1967 afternoon edition of the Register prominently features the drowning deaths of 9-year-old boys Lloyd Bonderer and John Sartor.Reflection by the bayOther than a few longtime locals, not too many people know about this incident.So why would Dale want to dredge up such a painful memory?He never wants someone's brother — or sister, mother, father, loved one, friend or everyday citizen — to drown by dangerously walking out onto ice atop water."I'm an avid fisherman, and ice can be a great time, as long as you use common sense and lots of safety," Dale said on Thursday just feet from the scene where John and Lloyd died. "I just want people to know tragedies like this happen so fast. Please keep an eye on your children, know what they're doing and where they're doing it."Dale, who doesn't know where Craig is today, also wanted to publicize John's legacy."John was the one boy in our family that always stayed out of trouble," Dale said. "My brothers Bill, Dan and I are the ones who should have been there. That should have been us. John just made a terrible mistake."A log sits in the Sandusky Bay, near where a drowning occurred 50 years ago, which killed two young boys.Dale Sartor points to the area of the Sandusky Bay where his brother, John, drowned in 1967. John and two friends, Lloyd and Craig Bonderer, were walking on part of the frozen Bay when Lloyd fell through the ice. John and Craig tried to help Lloyd out but also fell in the water. Craig was the only one to survive.