MONTEVALLO, AL -
William Evans will no longer have the chance to hear his son, 42-year-old Thaddeus Evans preach alongside him.
"It was devastating to me. To know that it was him," said William.
Just before noon Tuesday, a 9-1-1 call was made to Shelby County Sheriff's Office about a possible drowning at a private pond along Highway 17 in Montavallo .
Just before 3pm, rescue crews found Thad's body.
"They said the boat was leaking and he tried to go out to the boat somewhere and somewhere there's deep water he tried to swim out of it but he didn't make it out on time," said William.
William said his son was with his wife and two children. To his knowledge, Thad never had a problem with water.
"I thought he knew how to swim pretty well, ya know? I don't know what happened," said William.
As the family continues to grieve and console one another, Ross Williams, a friend and co-pastor of Thad said the news is still hard to grasp. "It's almost as if it's unreal but it's, our prayers are with the family and you know it's obviously devastating to them," said Ross.
A preacher alongside his father for five years at Faith Missionary Baptist Church, William said his son was a good man. And those are the memories he will continue to hold dear to his heart.
"Being a good father, good preacher, good pastor," said William.
Authorities continue their investigation into Thad's drowning.
This is the fifth drowning in the last two weeks across Central Alabama. Over the weekend a man drowned in Weiss Lake; a 7-year-old drowned in a Forestdale apartment pool; and two people drowned in Tallapoosa County.
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The Calera Dive Team responded to the scene of a drowning near Montevallo.
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