The kayak fishing community has lost one its own. Serge Lapointe, 45 (also known as Titowoody to the online kayak fishing community) was found dead. It is a great loss for the kayak fishing to lose such a passionate and knowledgeable person. Serge was kayak fishing on Lake Ontario when it appears he was caught in a freak storm that produced snow and high winds. Below is a story published in a local newspaper about Serge and he passion for kayak fishing.

Posted By Michelle Ruby

The family of Serge Lapointe plans to scatter his ashes on a Quebec lake as a final tribute to a man who had a passion for the water.

Mr. Lapointe, an experienced fisherman and boater, died after heading out alone in his kayak on Lake Ontario Tuesday afternoon after fishing with some buddies.

One of those friends said Mr. Lapointe set off in favourable offshore winds and there were no warnings about the snow squall that lay ahead.

Reports say Mr. Lapointe made it about 20 kilometres to his fishing destination of Jordan Harbour when the storm hit. His body was found by police Wednesday morning, just west of the harbour.

Terry Rose, Mr. Lapointe's brother-in-law and best friend, said Mr. Lapointe was accustomed to cold-weather fishing, but wasn't one to risk his safety.

"He was always cautious. He always wore a life jacket and insisted others did, too. He took no shortcuts to safety. He never came close to endangering anyone before."

Mr. Lapointe was born in Roberval, Que., and moved frequently when his father's job as a contract miner took the family to new locales. Much of Mr. Lapointe's family still lives in Rouyn-Noranda, a northwestern Quebec city with mining roots. After a memorial service in Brantford, Mr. Lapointe's cremated ashes will be scattered on Lake Preissac, a favourite spot when he was growing up.

Rose said Mr. Lapointe's love of the water was already well established when the two met at high school in Rouyn-Noranda. After losing touch for a couple of years, the two reconnected at Haileybury School of Mines in northern Ontario where they studied mining technology. They shared a love of walleye and bass fishing.

"He was very fun-loving and easy going," Rose said of his friend. "He bore no ill will toward anyone." It was also during that time that Mr. Lapointe met Cecilia Ganzon, whose sister, Teresa, was dating Rose, but it would be several years before the two started a romantic relationship.

Mr. Lapointe, Rose said, had a "dry, indirect" sense of humor that "made people feel very at ease." His work took him all over, including a jaunt to Australia, where he spent some time teaching mining techniques.

About eight years ago, a serious mining accident ended that career, and Mr. Lapointe retrained as a welding technician. That work brought him to southern Ontario. It was about that time that he became reacquainted with Ganzon and the two eventually moved to London, Ont.

A quest to buy a home brought Mr. Lapointe and Ganzon to Brantford where prices were more affordable and they purchased a place on Wood Street.

The Grand River became Mr. Lapointe's playground where he'd kayak and fish every chance he got. He helped Ganzon overcome her fear of the water and would take others on catch and release trips on the river. Ganzon called him "the best human being I ever met in my life."

Mr. Lapointe recently gave up his welding work to become a stevedore at Hamilton harbour.

At the same time, Mr. Lapointe was on the cusp of launching a business he hoped would popularize kayak fishing in Canada. He even dreamed of establishing a Canadian team to fish competitively around the world.

"He influenced everyone who crossed his path," said sister-in-law Teresa Rose. "He was very determined. I think he's looking down on us - and he's fishing."

Wayne Obie, Mr. Lapointe's business partner, spent most of the summer fishing in northern Ontario with the Brantford man.

"He was very down to earth, a kind of crazy French Canadian," said Obie. "He had a great heart. He loved everybody."

Obie said a wide network of fishermen and kayakers who link online are in shock over his friend's death. Some have suggested organizing a memorial fishing derby along the Grand in his memory.

KFM thoughts and prayers go out to his family from out family