PIPER, Susan

The Verde Independent, Cottonwood, AZ April 25, 2003 KENT AND SUSAN Piper died when their fishing boat capsized in Montana. Kent Leroy Piper, 38, and his wife Susan, 29, were boating on Flathead Lake in Montana when the boat they had chartered took on water and capsized on April 9. The body of Susan Piper was found floating several hundred yards from the partially submerged craft and deputies confirmed she was not wearing a floatation device. Lake County, Mont., deputies confirmed that she died of apparent drowning caused by hypothermia. The body of Kent Leroy Piper has not been located and he is presumed drowned. The couple had been living in Bethel, Conn., and were vacationing when the accident occurred. The boat was chartered from Dusty Bagley, 29, of Bigfork, Mont., on April 9. Bagley, acting as fishing guide, survived by clinging to the 24-foot vessel for some 17 hours before being rescued. Lynn Riordan of Cottonwood is Kent's sister. She said that her brother loved to fish and hunt. "It was really hard when we went to Montana and saw the boat and spoke with Rigsby," she said. "It's very sad. They were so young." She said that the apparent cause of the accident appears to be a faulty bilge system. "I'm told the boat began to take on water and capsized," she said. "I'm sure it was an accident." She said she and her family are praying for the charter guide (Bagley) and his family and hopes no charges will be filed. She said Kent lived in Cottonwood and graduated from Mingus Union High School in 1982. He met his wife Susan on a business trip, and they had married in 2001. Kent is survived by one daughter, Kristina Piper, of Phoenix, his mother, Dallas Piper Rogers, of Camp Verde, one brother, Coy Piper, of Cottonwood, and two sisters, Sheila Coleman and Lynn Riordan, both of Cottonwood. "Kent loved the outdoors and motor sports," Riordan said. "This was Susan's first fishing trip, and Kent was hoping she would take to it." Deputies confirmed that early autopsy results indicated that the woman died of drowning and had no apparent injuries. Search-and-rescue teams searched for the body of Kent Piper between Yellow Bay and Woods Bay but teams were unable to locate the body after the three-day search. "The boat looked like it was in good condition," Riordan said. "Deputies told me there were no clues as to why the accident happened except for the bilge system." Local sheriff's deputies confirmed that the water is about 300 feet deep in the area and very cold this time of year. Cold water lakes rarely yield bodies of victims as they usually sink to the lake's floor. Riordan said her brother Kent worked for New England Propane, and that his wife Susan was from West Virginia. Services for Susan Piper were held April 19 in Providence Forge, W.Va. Memorial services for Kent Piper will be held at the First Baptist Church Chapel on Willard Street in Cottonwood on April 26 at 10 a.m.