Funeral Services Friday for Yorktown Man Who Drowned in Lake
Funeral services will be held Friday for a 28-year-old Yorktown man who drowned in Sparkle Lake Monday afternoon.
Friends and family can pay their respects to Darrin Wayne Dyckoff at Yorktown Funeral Home in Shrub Oak from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. As of Thursday night, $2,800 had been pledged on a GoFundMe page set up to help the family with funeral expenses.
“Our family is overwhelmed with the support from our family, friends, community and strangers,” Danielle O’Connor, Dyckoff’s sister posted on Facebook. “Darrin loved helping others and volunteered with charity events, walk-a-thons, and especially worked close with My Brother Vinny. Our family is creating a way to help others with their pets for food and health care in his honor. Extra funds raised will go to start that and to create a legacy for him. At 28 years young he still had so much to do, and we will make sure his legacy gets it done!”
Dyckoff, a Yorktown High School graduate, was floating on an inflatable raft Monday at about 2 p.m. when he fell into the lake, which was off limits to swimming. Yorktown Police received a 911 call and were told by witnesses at the scene that Dyckoff yelled for help before going under and several bystanders attempted to assist but couldn’t locate him.
Members of the Yorktown and Mahopac Falls Fire Department dive teams, along with the Mohegan Rescue Squad, searched for Dyckoff until nightfall Monday. On Tuesday, at about 9:50 a.m., the New York State Police Underwater Recovery Team recovered Dyckoff’s body, which was entangled in weeds in the lake.
O’Connor said her family used to live across from Sparkle Lake and Dyckoff enjoyed going there as a child to fish and walk his dog.
“We hope others learn from this tragedy and do not go out on rafts because the water is very dangerous with the weeds under the water,” she stated. “Words cannot describe our feelings of grief and some sort of relief that he was found. We want to thank all the emergency responders and bystanders who assisted in the search, rescue, recovery, and for supporting our family during this most difficult of times.”
According to his LinkedIn account, Dyckoff worked for the last eight months as a cashier at the Dunkin Donuts inside ShopRite in Cortlandt. Prior to that he worked for nine months at Café Pizzazz in Mohegan Lake and was Food Service Manager at Wayback Burgers in the Triangle Shopping Center in Yorktown for more than two years.
Paula Miritello, founder/director of the non-profit organization My Brother Vinny, expressed her sadness on the loss of Dyckoff.
“He was such a kind, misunderstood at times soul with a beautiful heart,” Miritello said on Instagram. “He was one of my life’s cousins, our family shared a special bond for decades and we all weep now for him. He was quietly there for you, every event I had for My Brother Vinny, Darrin supported. He would help any way he could. He gave all he could and with true compassion. Everyone has hurt and tragedy—this loss hit way too close to home.”
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