Donna Fagersten had taken refuge at a friend’s home on the top floor as Hurricane Helene tore through northern Florida, leaving a devastating trail of destruction and more than 100 casualties in the southeastern U.S.
As the storm appeared to calm, the 66-year-old teacher, just days away from her retirement, made a fateful choice to return home to rescue her cat.
When Hurricane Helene hit Florida on September 26, 2024, around 11 p.m., the Category 4 storm triggered flash floods, forcing residents to scramble for safety. One of the hardest-hit areas was Pinellas County, particularly in the Tampa Bay region, where at least 11 people lost their lives.
Among the victims was Donna Fagersten, a second-grade teacher from Ponce De Leon Elementary in Pinellas County.
According to her best friend Heather Anne Boles, Donna was set to retire the following week after dedicating 35 years to teaching. When the storm hit, Donna sought shelter with Boles and her partner, Mike Moran. As the storm surge rushed in, they retreated to the third floor of Boles’ mother’s home, across from the beach where Donna lived.
Boles recalled that as the storm seemed to settle, Donna insisted on going home to check on her cat, despite Boles’ pleas to stay. Tragically, another surge and high winds returned, battering the coastline.
A neighbor later came to their shelter, reporting that someone had been found floating in the parking garage. They quickly pulled Donna from the water and began CPR, but despite their efforts and the arrival of fire rescue by boat, they were unable to revive her.
Detectives later confirmed that Donna had drowned in her home, which had been flooded with water.
Family and friends have since remembered Donna as a “beautiful person” who was deeply committed to her students and community. In a Facebook post, Mary Gleason Lyons, a colleague and friend, described Donna as a dedicated teacher with a big heart, touching the lives of many students over her 35-year career.
Online tributes poured in, with former students and friends expressing their sadness at her passing and remembering her kindness and warmth.
While Boles and Moran are now left to clean up after the floods, which destroyed most of their belongings, the loss of their best friend is what hurts the most. “This is the worst we have ever seen,” Boles said, reflecting on the storm’s destruction compared to Hurricane Irma, where they managed to keep their home and belongings intact.
On a positive note, Donna’s cat survived, and her friends are working to find him a new home.
Hurricane Helene, which cut a destructive 800-mile path northward, left more than 2 million homes without power and claimed over 100 lives, according to USA Today.
Hawaii Five-0 Actor Dead at 56: One of the ‘Gentlest Souls’
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Wily began his professional career as an MMA fighter and sumo wrestler before deciding to pursue acting.
At the age of 56, Taylor Wily, best known for his parts in Magnum P.I. and Hawaii Five-0, passed away.
On Thursday, June 20, Hawaiian artist and celebrity Lina Girl Langi, who had been close friends with Wily and his family, revealed the news of his passing on her lifestyle program Island Life Live.
Langi said on the show, “It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of the passing of a Hawaii celebrity who was also a family friend.” “Taylor Wily, actor, MMA fighter, and former wrestler, passed away in Hurricane, Utah, today.”
Davey D, her co-host, called Wily one of the “kindest” and “gentlest souls.”
Langi did not reveal Willy’s cause of death. She did point out that despite having an intimidating build, the actor was not scary in real life.
She said, “He would appear physically menacing until you simply folded into an embrace, and that was that.” “My heart is shattered.”
According to his IMDb page, Wily began his career as a sumo wrestler under the name “Takamishu” after being born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1968. He won his first fourteen matches, according to TV Insider, and went on to become the first wrestler not born in the United States to win the title in the third-tier Makushita division.
He then participated in the inaugural Ultimate Fighting Championship event in 2000, losing to fellow fighter Gerard Gordeau and making history as the first competitor to lose in a UFC brawl.
Wily eventually made the transition to acting, starting out in the 1980s and early 2000s with background parts in television series like North Shore, One West, and the original Magnum P.I.
After that, he starred in the movies Radical and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and on Hawaii Five-0, he was cast as Kamekona, a series regular. In total, 171 episodes of the 2010–2020 season of the show included him. In the Magnum P.I. reboot, he also played the same character again.
On social media, a number of Wily’s acquaintances and admirers offered their condolences to his wife Halona Wily and the rest of his family. Executive producer Peter Lenkov of Magnum P.I. and Hawaii Five-0 also honored the star on Instagram by posting a picture of the two of them together on set.
“I’m inconsolable. Brokenhearted. In a few days, I’ll share some in-depth feelings. Just too difficult at this time,” he wrote.
On Facebook, former Hawaii news reporter Angela Keen wrote that Wily was always “accessible and personable” and had frequently visited kids at Shriners Children’s Hawaii Hospital.
She remarked, “You were the very definition of a gentle giant.” “Taylor Wily, I can’t believe you’re gone.”
After posting a picture of the two, Dennis Chun, who portrayed Sgt. Duke Lukela in the Hawaii Five-0 revival, added, “Laura and I are heart broken to learn of Taylor Wily’s passing.” He was a giant of a man in addition to being a gifted artist.
“Being in a scene with him was always such a joy because of his aloha and heart,” he continued. It was a privilege to work with him and have him as a friend. Taylor, get some rest. Hawaii and I cry this evening. Taylor, till we cross paths again, aloha.
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