Friends launch memorial fund for family of Kenmore man who drowned

David Ulm was a giving man, always going out of his way to help friends and strangers in need, according to Charlie Wilson on a family memorial fund Web site.

That's what Ulm, 54, did on the evening of Aug. 1 when a woman asked the Kenmore man if he could help retrieve a soccer ball from Lake Washington near O.O. Denny Park in Kirkland. The experienced swimmer and certified SCUBA diver — who was visiting the park with his wife and two young children — reached the ball, but then struggled in the water before going under, said Kirkland Police Sgt. Rob Saloum.

The woman and Ulm's wife, Caroline, swam out to try and save him, but couldn't locate him. Ulm was later located and pulled from the water by Mercer Island Marine Divers. The drowning death has been ruled an accident by investigators.

Wilson and more of Ulm's friends have launched the Pay it Forward: The Ulm Family Memorial Fund at http://www.indiegogo.com/wevegotdavesback.

"Dave did what he did best; helping others," Wilson wrote on the site. "We lost a great man and father that night."

They have set a goal of $250,000 to help the family keep their Arrowhead community home and provide college tuition for the children in the future. According to Wilson, Ulm was out of steady work for two years and had recently regained employment, but had spent all the family savings to keep their home.

People can also donate to a direct fund, The Ulm Family Memorial Fund, at any Key Bank branch.

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