GREENVILLE – A 79-year-old Millinocket man drowned Saturday morning while walking alongside his boat in waist-deep water in Lower Wilson Pond, according to the Maine Warden Service.

Richard T. Thaxter had retrieved his boat from one location on the pond around 8:30 a.m. Saturday, July 26, and apparently was walking it to a second location approximately 30 feet away when he lost his footing on rocks in the water, according to Warden James Babiarz.

“He had one arm on the boat, but was struggling to get his footing on the rocks,” Warden Babiarz said.

Thaxter tried to regain his balance but was unsuccessful, Warden Babiarz said. His wife called out for help, and neighbors came over to assist her with getting her husband out of the water and resuscitation efforts.

Greenville Fire and Rescue and an ambulance crew from C.A. Dean Hospital in Greenville tried for about an hour to revive Thaxter. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.