Family remembers man who drowned saving child

CORALVILLE — Wegayewu Sahilu Faris lived life looking for opportunities to improve himself and to serve others, according to his wife, Teyobesta Tewabe. He died Aug. 5, at the age of 42, when he drowned while rescuing an 8-year-old boy from the currents of the Iowa River.

He was born on May 5, 1980 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Sahilu Faris and Mulu Tolosa, and immigrated to Iowa in 2004, eventually settling in Coralville, according to his obituary.

Wegayewu’s second and third names come from his ancestors, as is the Ethiopian tradition. A person’s first name is their own, and their second name is the given name of their father. Sometimes a grandfather’s given name is added as a third name, as is the case with Wegayewu.

When Wegayewu first moved to the U.S., he worked in fast food for a short time before being hired as a custodial worker at City High School in Iowa City in 2005. He worked at City High for 17 years, while also studying several subjects at Kirkwood Community College.

“Wegayewu was a terrific husband, father, brother, friend and co-worker. He lived his life with honesty, love and compassion. He was a hardworking man and instilled that work ethic in his kids with the little time he had with them,” Teyobesta said.

“He loved learning new things and the challenges that come with that. There was nothing he could not fix, or at least try until exhaustion. He was a provider and a protector to his family here and in Ethiopia.”

Wegayewu enjoyed spending his spare time outdoors, doing things like fishing, playing soccer and exploring, according to Teyobesta’s sister Beza Tewabe.

“He spent his time with the people he loves, especially his wife and kids,” Beza said. “If you are around him, you are laughing, eating and talking about the future, almost always.”

Wegayewu had a big personality, and he took on many responsibilities in his family, said Bethel Tewabe, another of Teyobesta’s sisters.

Since his death, Wegayewu’s family has struggled to figure out how they’re going to fill all the roles he played and the empty space he left in their lives.

"It’s definitely been an uphill battle every day since it happened,“ Bethel said. ”The first couple days were just complete numbness with denial. We spent most days and nights afterwards completely overcome with grief and lost in thought, wondering how and why this happened.“

The family debated where to bury Wegayewu, at first planning to send him back to his home in Ethiopia. They eventually decided to bury him in North Liberty, where his children and future generations will be able to visit him. A funeral was held on Aug. 12 in North Liberty.

Wegayewu left Ethiopia as a young man looking for a better life in the U.S., but he returned regularly to visit his home country and bring clothing and supplies for those living in poverty. Teyobesta, who is also Ethiopian but married Wegayewu in the U.S. in 2018, said she hopes to be able to continue her husband’s charitable work in a more organized way in the future, in order to honor, love and remember him.

Shortly after Wegayewu died, Bethel set up a GoFundMe page intended to help her sister pay for the funeral and the possible expense of sending Wegayewu back to Ethiopia. The original goal of the GoFundMe was to raise $5,000, according to Bethel. As of Wednesday morning, it had raised more than $72,000.

“The community support has been incredible. We have neighbors stepping in to create carpools to school and activities, sending baskets full of stuff to keep the kids busy during those early days after we experienced this unthinkable loss. We have co-workers bringing meals or doing yard word,” Teyobesta said. “We appreciate everyone’s generosity.”

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