New Bedford man dies clearing snow

 By: Liz Tufts

A New Bedford family is still in shock, after their father passed away while helping friends dig out from the storm earlier this week.

It’s so hard for James Lake and his sister Kara to come to terms their father isn’t coming home.

On Tuesday, when the storm had finally stopped, 53–year–old James Lake headed to his friend’s auto body shop in New Bedford to hang out, but his kids say.. their dad, who suffered from a heart condition, had a hard time sitting still.

So when his friends headed outside to clear away the mounds of snow, he decided to join them.

He wasn’t doing it because he had to he was sitting around with his buddy and his buddy went outside and why am I going to sit around and do nothing, I can go out with you and push around the snow blower, says James Lake II

But after a while, he started not feeling well. “My father started having really bad chest pains, “ says Lake.

Moments later, Lake lost consciousness. He died at the hospital.

Now his family is only left with pictures and memories they now hold dear, but they know he’ll never be too far from their minds.

He’ll always be remembered as a man who put others first.

The family has set up a Gofundme page to help raise money for Lake’s funeral costs. The link is: http://www.gofundme.com/99j8zg