SEQUIM, Wash. — As families across western Washington enjoy a long weekend by the water, one grieving mother is hoping her son’s story will serve as a reminder: water safety can mean the difference between life and death.

Michele Duncan recently built a memorial bench in her backyard for her son, 21-year-old Ty Bradley Coone, who drowned in May while kayaking near the Dungeness Spit.

“I know my son is in a beautiful place,” Duncan said. “He was a light… always a light for everybody.”

Duncan learned this weekend of several recent drownings and near-drownings across the region — incidents that struck a deeply personal chord.

“Safety first. I cannot emphasize that enough,” Duncan said.

Coone’s death was a sudden and tragic turn. What began as a routine day on the water turned deadly wh

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