Drowning coach to daughter: 'Save yourself'
A drowning man's daughter tried to save him before he died in Caesar Creek Lake on Sunday afternoon.
Robert Stegemoller, 47, the girls golf coach at Little Miami Schools, and his family were picnicking at the lake when he saw their boat was adrift. When he swam out to retrieve it, he drowned, said Scott Hines with the Massie Township Fire Department.
Stegemoller's daughter, Elizabeth, 19, heard his screams for help and tried save him.
She swam to him but the combined weight pulled them both under water, said Hines.
Then Stegemoller pushed his daughter away and said "save yourself," Elizabeth said to Hines.
He was lost in the lake around 4:30 p.m. Crews found the body of the Maineville man about four hours later.
Caesar Creek Lake's water level is low while crews build one of the largest inland marinas in Southwest Ohio, according to Hines.
The lake has sudden and steep drop-offs that catch swimmers off guard about 7 or 8 feet in, said Hines.
The Warren County coroner ruled cardiac distress could be related to Stegemoller's death.
The lake's cold temperature paired with his struggling could have put pressure on his heart, according to the coroner's office.
The coroner's investigation isn't complete, however.
State records show Stegemoller was a corrections officer at the Warren Correctional Institution in Turtlecreek Township as recently as 2014.
Stegemoller began as the varsity girls' golf coach at Little Miami after the previous coach, Rod Dillon, died from an illness in 2012, according to a statement from the Little Miami Local School District.
The district mourned losing Stegemoller on Monday and Tuesday with posts to Facebook and Twitter.
"This loss is felt not just in the hallways of Little Miami High School or on the golf courses around the Southwest Ohio League, but throughout our community," the school's statement said.
According to another Facebook post by the school district, a memorial service is scheduled 6 p.m. Saturday at Bicentennial Park in Lebanon. There will be a small service at 7 p.m. Saturday and a candlelight vigil that night at 8:15.
"The event is informal and the family has asked everyone to wear their school colors," the school's Facebook post said.
The school's website indicates Stegemoller had been a coach for six years at Little Miami, although it wasn't certain when the website had last been updated (the site lists the girls' 2013 varsity team's members).
The website said he "has coached numerous sports for more than 20 years, including softball, volleyball, softball and golf." Stegemoller told the school's website that his "team is a family and that they will stand behind, walk beside, lead and encourage each other every step of the way."
The school district's Facebook page was filled with community members' responses to the tragedy.
"The girls golf team has lost 2 amazing coaches in the past few years. I pray that someone comes along that is as amazing!!" wrote Angela Choulat.
"Bob coached my daughter from the age of 6 until she was 17....he was so dedicated to all of his players and parents," wrote Lisa Rose Gilpin.
Elise King posted a lengthy statement: "This man stood up to the plate to coach the girls varsity golf team after the sudden loss of Coach Rod Dillon. He had big shoes to fill and everyday he tried and by the end of the season I was glad to call him coach. The season after I graduated high school he would text me and tell me all about the new team and how great they were and how I should've come to see them play. I regret not making the time now."
King then addressed Elizabeth Stegemoller: "Just know that (your) dad was loved immensely for stepping up to do a job no one wanted and I thank him for that. We love you Elizabeth and are here for you. R.I.P. Coach Bob, glad to say I was team captain while you were coach."