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Family remembers Lake Bluff man, 20, who drowned in Alaska

Family remembers Lake Bluff man, 20, who drowned in Alaska
Family remembers Lake Bluff man, 20, who drowned in Alaska 00:53

CHICAGO (CBS) – CBS 2 heard from the heartbroken family of a North Shore man who died while trapped in a type of quicksand on a trip to Alaska.

Zachary Porter, 20, of Lake Bluff, was walking on mud flats along the Alaskan coast on Sunday. He sank up to his waist.

The tide rolled in before rescuers could get there. Porter drowned.

CBS 2 spoke Tuesday with his family, who remembered Zach as a baseball lover who was majoring in economics at Washington University.

"He was raised by this community," said Susan Rider, his mother. "He really was. He was in it all the time. He was out and around and he knew how fortunate he was."

His sister, Elizabeth Porter, described her brother as "well-rounded. He loved the world and he had his priorities straight. He knew what mattered in life."

The family said they plan to start a foundation in Zach's honor to help children in need.

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