Zane Kitburi had only lived in Montauk for about a month, trading his longtime bartending position at Indochine, a popular Vietnamese restaurant in New York City, for jobs at the Surf Lodge and Roberta’s.
His fiancee, Persia Jensen, had joined him in Montauk for the summer. With another close friend, Jensen Turner, the three went for a picnic and an after-hours swim at Ditch Plain Beach last week, on July 19.
Their dip turned deadly when they got caught in the fierce, yellow-flag surf, according to East Hampton Town police. The call came in just after 7:30 p.m.; town lifeguards had been off duty since 5.
Three off-duty lifeguards who were surfing nearby saw the swimmers in distress and rushed to help. Ms. Jensen and Ms. Turner were able to swim to shore, but Mr. Kitburi could not. A lifeguard brought him in and performed CPR while another called 911. He was later pronounced dead at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.
Benjamin Z. Kitburi will be remembered as a kind-hearted, free-spirited man who always had a positive attitude, his family and friends said this week.
“The Surf Lodge is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our beloved team member Zane,” Jayma Cardoso, the popular resort’s founder and owner, said in an email, adding that he “instantly made such a positive impact on our community” with his genuine kindness. “We feel blessed to have known him and will miss him dearly.”
Zane Kitburi was born in the Canadian province of British Columbia and came to the United States as a child in 1994 with his family, attending schools in Maryland and Washington State. A graduate of Lake Stevens High School, just outside Seattle, he had an eclectic group of friends. His parents, Chan Kitburi of Marysville, Wash., and Tina Kitburi of Fairfield, Va., survive him, as do three brothers, Mick, Remingten, and Maverick.
Chan Kitburi, speaking Monday by phone, said he was in shock over the loss and is seeking more information on his son’s death. He recounted his last text-message exchange with Zane that morning.
“He told me he wanted me to come and see him, to see what his life has been the past five years, because I hadn’t seen him for this long,” Mr. Kitburi said. “I said I would try to make time to see him. I said my door is always open for him to come home and see me. I said I loved him, and he said, ‘I love you, too, Dad.’ “
Two GoFundMe pages have been set up to support Ms. Jensen, Ms. Turner, and the Kitburi family, raising about $40,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.
The Surf Lodge and Roberta’s have hosted memorial gatherings and provided housing for grieving family members to come together in Southampton. Ms. Kitburi said her son had fallen “in love with the community and the people” during his short time here.
“We’re so blown away, being engulfed in the love of Montauk, the Surf Lodge, and Roberta’s,” she said. “It’s just by chance that our son didn’t make it, but we’re so grateful that Persia and Jensen did, and they need care moving forward.”