He helped people reach their goals. Now others are helping his widow

In a matter of moments, a Fishhook Park camping trip turned to tragedy when a Kennewick fitness club manager drowned.

Jason Robinson was described as the type of guy who friends could count on and employees could confide in.

Now support is pouring in for the man who loved golf, fitness and being on the water.

A GoFundMe raising money for Robinson’s wife Marci has so far raised $10,735 of its $20,000 goal.

A message to all

Robinson and two friends were hanging out on his boat August 11, waiting for friends to arrive for a weekend camping trip, said his sister-in-law Karen Jacobs.

The wind kicked up on the river while he was moving to start the engine, Jacobs said. His hat fell into the water.

An Air Force veteran and longtime fitness enthusiast, Robinson jumped in without a life jacket. He soon was swept about a half-mile down the river, Jacobs said.

“That is a message the family wants to get out there. He was a very fit guy,” she said. “He underestimated the current and the wind, and he was gone.”

The two people in the boat tried to save him, police said.

One leaped into the river and swam toward him carrying a floatation device, Jacobs said. The other person struggled for a moment to start the boat.

After getting to Jason, the person tried multiple times to throw him a rope, but the wind kept blowing it away.

He disappeared under the water before they could reach him.

‘Living in the moment’

Jason’s friends said that he was the type of person who would make time for employees in need, and offered a helping hand to friends and loved his family.

“He was a very playful goofy guy that was great at living in the moment,” Jacobs said.

He grew up in Pocatello, Idaho, and spent time at Boise Bible College and Idaho State University before enlisting.

He was stationed in Idaho when he met the woman who was going to be his wife in 2001. Marci, a California native, met him during at a bowling alley, Jacobs said.

Marci later said she thought she would marry him, but after she got his phone number it took him contacting a mutual friend for weeks to get her to call him back, Jacobs said. Marci and Jason married three years later.

After leaving the military, Robinson went to Boise State University and began a career at Gold’s Gym that would bring him and Marci to Kennewick in 2010.

“He was passionate about helping people understand how to be healthy, and giving them the tools to be successful,” his sister-in-law said on the Go Fund Me page.

His success led him to be tapped for the position earlier this year as chief operations officer at Club 24 Fitness.

Dual memorials are set for 1 p.m. Saturday. One will be in Bethel Church in Richland, and the other will be in Pocatello, Idaho at Calvary Chapel.

This story was originally published August 22, 2018 at 2:43 PM.