A Waterloo man was identified as a missing swimmer who was found deceased at the Lake of the Ozarks on Monday.

Late Sunday afternoon, Sean P. Jouglard, 21, of Waterloo, was on a boat with others at the 20.1 mile mark of the main channel of the lake. 

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Jouglard exited the boat to go swimming shortly after 6 p.m. and never resurfaced.

The Sunrise Beach Fire Protection District said divers spent Monday searching for the missing swimmer until Jouglard was found and pronounced deceased at 2:50 p.m. by the Camden County (Mo.) Medical Examiner’s Office. 

Jouglard, who participated in Boy Scouts as a youngster, was a 2018 graduate of Gibault Catholic High School. 

“I remember his quiet demeanor, great smile and deep, beautiful voice,” former Gibault principal Russ Hart told the Republic-Times. 

After graduating from Gibault, Sean was employed for three years at Heartland Turf Farm in rural Columbia. He had taken classes at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and expressed an interest in engineering, but had not yet decided on a career path.

“Sean liked to play video games, go fishing, love on his dog, Rex. He very much loved nature and animals and anything outdoors.  He enjoyed playing basketball and hanging out with all of his friends,” said family friend Tammie Heet, adding that he “loved with his whole heart, loved his sister, his grandparents, his parents. He also loved his friends and their families.”

Sean’s sister Clare Jouglard told the Republic-Times that her “little brother had a huge heart and an even bigger sense of humor.”

“Growing up, even when I was terrorizing him because I was bigger than him, he always wanted to have me around to play games or watch TV or cause trouble for my parents together,” she remembered. “One day, he was suddenly bigger than me and I was the one being picked on. But there was never a time when I didn’t feel loved by him.” 

“He would make lame jokes and speak heartfelt sentiments in the same sentence. He had a way of making you laugh when you were trying to cry. He was a huge troublemaker, but always right there when you needed him,” Clare continued. “When he left the earth, he took a piece of everyone he has ever spoken to. I will deeply miss Sean – antics and all.”

A group of Sean’s friends met at his mother Beth Jouglard’s home in Waterloo on Tuesday afternoon to share memories of Sean. 

“When I first met Sean, I knew we were going to be really good friends.  You could tell that in his heart he was one of the purest, nicest people you could ever be blessed to encounter,” said Trey Mathis, a friend with whom Sean had the opportunity to vacation with in Hawaii. 

“He is the brother I could only dream of having and the best friend anyone could ever ask for.  In between his sarcastic comments and his witty humor, you could really tell he was just an all-around good man,” Mathis continued. “I was truly blessed to get to know him.”

Sam Sippel said “Sean was the best type of friend.  He was very funny and always found a way to brighten up the room. He was truly a great friend and a true blessing to my life. He always had something funny to say and was great at telling stories.”

As with many of Sean’s other friends, Jake and John Green thought of Sean as a brother.

“Sean’s more than just a friend.  He is a brother to all of us.  He lives through us now.  Love you, buddy.  You’ll always be one of the boys,” Jake said, adding that “Sean is one of the most respectful and least judgmental people you will ever meet.  He could make anyone laugh and all he had to do was be himself,” 

Jude echoed that Sean “was like an older brother to me and always pushed me to be better. He was always smiling and never complained when we played basketball.” 

Two of his friends also mentioned Sean’s love of food, especially grilling and buffets, but he will be remembered for his compassionate personality.

“I am so grateful I got the chance to get as close as I did with Sean. Anybody who knew Sean knew he was the most loving and caring goofball you could find. I’ll never forget his smile. That smile could light up a whole room,” said Garren, who also fondly remembered Sean’s love for food.

“Every buffet we hit is for you, man!” Garren pledged. “We will all miss that man so much because he was genuinely one of a kind. I will forever carry his love and memories with me, along with anyone else that knew him. Sean was such a blessing and I’m just thankful for the blessings that he shared with me.” 

Mathis also mentioned food when thinking about his time spent with Sean.

“He was a fantastic storyteller, and his passion for grilling knew no bounds.  Cooking and having a beer or two was absolutely some of my favorite times with him, with our talks about our dreams and aspirations, to our crazy business ideas,” Mathis recalled.

Sean will mostly be remembered for the relationships he created with those around him.

“The positive energy he had was like no other.  I am so glad I can call him my friend,” said friend Adam Bira. “He was one of those people that was always there for you no matter what.”

Jude affirmed that Sean “will always be a part of the family we all built together.” 

To read Sean’s obituary, click here.