11:26 AM CDT on Thursday, July 12, 2007 By STEVE THOMPSON / The Dallas Morning News

stevethompson@dallasnews.com

They talked about it all the way up to the lake house, jumping off the bluff now that the water was high. From the top, overlooking the expanse of Lake Texoma, the drop seemed menacing.

Still, Don Woolf and his two sons, Cameron and Ryan, couldn't stop thinking about it.

A muddy path through the woods led them to where they could peer over and try to gauge the broad jump it would take to clear the rocks. From a lower perch, they eased themselves down with a rope to swim around and check out the bottom.

In the past, a leap off the cliff would have led to hard ground. On Saturday, there was 20 feet of water.

Don Woolf and son Ryan were found dead in Lake Texoma after apparent falls.

But even the ample water level wasn't enough to prevent a daring but seemingly achievable jump from turning deadly.

Patricia Woolf always worried about the adventuresome streak in her husband and two boys, and she was wishing Saturday they would forget about the cliff. But she couldn't have imagined it would take two of them from her.

Sitting in her living room Wednesday, Mrs. Woolf wondered at the loss of a husband and son who were so much alike. "I like the man that Ryan was becoming a whole lot," she said.

For years, the Woolf family had made the 45-minute drive from Plano to Pottsboro, Texas, to stay in the lake house they called The Shack. Recently, they replaced The Shack with a new house. At three bedrooms, it was no mansion. But it was comfortable, and it was a place they could slow down and relax.

Don Woolf would put out a trot line every night. When he caught one, the business executive could gut it in a single stroke. His sons – Ryan, 17; Cameron, 18 – would bring their friends, and he treated them like his own.

"You boys need to consider this," Mr. Woolf would say in his deep, enthusiastic voice, whenever he saw a lesson in something. But really, he was a kid inside himself. His sons' friends at Plano Senior High School say he was "the cool dad."

Ryan and Cameron's friends tended to gravitate to the Woolfs' home in Plano. Mrs. Woolf could always tell who was there by the shoes left at the front door.

Fireworks at the lake were a Fourth of July tradition. This year, much of the Woolfs' extended family gathered there. Ryan and Cameron's friend Aaron Jeanes, 18, also came along.

They spent much of Saturday preparing food for a big barbecue that evening, getting the burgers ready and marinating the ribs. But Mr. Woolf and the boys also spent time checking out the cliff.

First, it was just Cameron and Ryan and Aaron. Later, Mr. Woolf and his two sons drove the four-wheeler down for a swim to see it from the water.

Mrs. Woolf and her sister-in-law climbed down the muddy path to check on them that evening about 6:30.

"We're not sure," they said of the plunge. "It looks pretty good from down here."

They climbed out of the water. Cameron, tired, begged off. Mr. Woolf and Ryan ran on up the path toward the top, excited.

"You guys better be careful," Mrs. Woolf yelled. She resolved to check on them in about an hour.

She returned sooner than that, about 45 minutes later, and began calling their names. Getting no answer, she began to realize something was wrong. "All wrong," she says.

Soon the rest of the family was out searching around the lake, and Mrs. Woolf called 911.

A boat from the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife arrived after dark and began dragging the lake. They pulled Ryan Woolf's body up from 12 feet of water about 10 p.m. He was wearing one shoe; they found the other floating.

It was getting late. They put off the rest of the search for Sunday. That night, Ryan's cellphone kept ringing; it was his girlfriend. Mrs. Woolf had Cameron tell her.

That night, Cameron and his mother held out only "a little bitty ray of hope" for Mr. Woolf. Maybe he was washed up somewhere unconscious. But really, they knew.

The next day, they waited while authorities searched with sonar. His body was found that afternoon in about 25 feet of water, not far from where his son had been found.

"That was a bad deal; bad as I ever seen," said game warden Randolph McGee. He said 18-inch foot impressions near the water led him to believe someone slammed into the clay. Probably Ryan, he said, since the boy was missing a shoe.

Mrs. Woolf said the funeral home told her Ryan had a head injury. She says authorities also told her that foot and handprints at the top of the bluff make them think maybe Ryan slipped off accidentally, and then Mr. Woolf clambered down to try to save him. Whether it was a fall or the water that killed him wasn't clear.

"Nobody will ever know that deal," Mr. McGee said.

The funeral is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday at Christ United Methodist Church in Plano.

Submitted on 07/12/2007

Submitted by: Laura Jones
Reference: The Dallas Morning News Thursday, July 12, 2007

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Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
I found another article about this accident at http://www.normantranscript.com/localnews/local_story_193012340 which indicates the Army Corps of Engineers was warning people away from this lake due to the flooding in the area. Parts of the lake had apparently even been restricted. Given all that I'll vote DA for these two. Thanks, Laura.

James said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
So this fellow was a business executive, eh? Apparently, he was also a first-class enabler, encouraging his sons to participate in the madness! Funny how the Mrs. always knows best, but how some men will consistently ignore their wives' admonishments! A tragic story, but an example of stellar stupidity from someone who should have known better, especially considering the Army Corps of Engineers warning (forgive my projection, but I can almost imagine him saying "Bah, what do those low-brow soldier types know anyway! Let's JUMP!!!")

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