NEWARK, N.Y. — A heartbroken dad is speaking out after his son, Wilson Augustave Jr., died after drowning in the Erie Canal in Newark. He was 17 years old.

“I’ve been going through emotional turmoil up and down like a roller coaster,” Wilson Augustave Sr. said.

Coping with the loss of his son has been difficult for Augustave Sr., but his heart is touched by all the love and support they’ve received from loved ones. He tells News10NBC that Wilson was a good person — caring, loving and helpful. The type of kid that would put a smile on everyone’s face.

“I love him, I love him, I love him to death and I hope he is in peace where he’s at,” Augustave Sr. said through tears.

For Wilson’s mom, the pain is also too much to bear. She couldn’t even speak when News10NBC’s Marsha Augustin met with the family on Wednesday.

Friends have set up a makeshift memorial in honor of Wilson Augustave Jr. with balloons, stuffed animals, and flowers along the railing on S. Main St. where he drowned on Monday night before a Good Samaritan tried to save him.

“It’s good that people care and put stuff out here like this,” one friend said.

“I’m going to miss him as a person, just in general. He was bright, funny, great smile, great personality,” another friend added. “It’s crazy how many people, how many people in his life that he affected.”

Friends say they are glad to have the support of one another. It’s the type of friend Wilson was to them.

“He had a big heart — everybody liked him,” a friend said. “Everyone loved him for his laugh and his smile but he was so much more than that. He had such a bright heart.”

A big heart his dad will surely miss. “Just having him around — just having him around,” Augustave Sr. said.

Gone but never forgotten. Friends are using the hashtag #LoveForWilson to remember him.

The Augustave family is thankful for the love and support everyone has shown. It speaks to the person that Wilson truly was.

Augustave Sr. says they are making memorial plans now and should have things confirmed by the end of the week.

Wilson Augustave Jr. was a junior at Newark High School.

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