8-year-old Shawnee Boy Dies Trying To Save Little Brother

Adrianna Iwasinski, NEWS 9

SHAWNEE, Oklahoma -- A Shawnee family is mourning the loss of an 8-year-old boy who drowned in a nearby drainage ditch over the weekend.

The family said Robert Roets died trying to save his little brother Ronnie when both of them got caught in the rising, rushing water.

Neighbor Roland Blake managed to pull Ronnie to safety before Robert was pulled completely under.

The family said they can't thank their neighbor enough for saving Ronnie's life, otherwise they would be planning two funerals instead of one.

Blake said his heart breaks for the family of the little boy he saved and said he wishes he could have saved his older brother too.

"I wish I would have if I had known there was two in there at the time. I would have, you know, I would have jumped back in to save him if I had known," Blake said.

The water in the creek has since receded, but it can't wipe away the memory of what happened over the weekend.

Roland said he was getting ready to go to work that rainy Saturday when he saw 7-year-old Ronnie Roets being pulled under the drainage ditch across from his home.

"And I went to grab for him and missed his hand," Blake said. "And that's when I seen him surface on this other side.  About the same time I jumped in was the time my wife said, 'Oh my God, there's a hand."

Lois Burns saw it all unfold from her front porch.

"And when he went over there and grabbed that little boy and it swept them all further down the creek I thought, oh Lord he's gone," Burns said. "But he come up with the little boy."

Burns said she now prays for little Ronnie's family as they prepare to lay his 8-year-old brother to rest.

"It just breaks your heart," she said. "Breaks your heart."

Robert's grandmother described him as a loving, little red-headed boy, and his great aunt said they know Robert died trying to save his little brother. She said the two were inseparable in life, only to be separated by death.

"I just wish we could have had two full lives instead of just being able to save one," Blake said.

The family did not want to go on camera but did want to extend a thank you to the firemen and highway patrol troopers who found Robert's body on Sunday. They said at least now they can lay him to rest.

A memorial fund has been established for Robert at Banc First. Anyone interested can go to any Banc First location to donate and help the family with funeral costs.

Family members say Robert Roets' funeral will be at the Oakland Baptist Church in Shawnee.

More: Shawnee Rescue Crews Search for 8-Year-Old Near Drainage Ditch