Coast Guard Auxiliary leader drowns in Lake Michigan in north suburbs

State officials are investigating the drowning of a U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary leader last week in Lake Michigan in the far northern suburbs.

John Staggs, 76, was found dead about 8:45 p.m. July 12 in the water beneath a dock at North Point Marina in Winthrop Harbor, the Lake County coroner’s office said. He had been reported missing about 10:30 p.m. July 11.

Officials with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources are investigating the incident, the coroner’s office said.

Staggs, serving as district commodore, was a 38-year veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Great Lakes District Western Region, earning multiple honors over the years, the agency said in a statement.

“He was a dedicated mariner who loved being underway and serving his community,” the Coast Guard said in its statement, also noting that Staggs was a strong supporter of the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, the agency’s charity organization that provides financial support to Coast Guard families.

“Every year, COMO Staggs ensured that our district raised funds for CGMA, and thanks to his efforts, thousands of Coast Guard families have been able to get the help they needed when times were tough,” the statement continued.

Staggs, of Chicago, joined the Coast Guard in 1987, along the way earning the Auxiliary Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Medal of Operational Merit, the Advanced Boat Force Device, the AUXOP Device and the Coast Guard Coxswain Device.

A service is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday at St. Gertrude Catholic Church, 1420 W. Granville Ave. in Edgewater.