The brother of a man who was found dead along with his daughter after the pair set off on a hiking trip on Maine's Katahdin mountain is remembering them in life, according to NBC affiliate News Center Maine.
Rescuers began searching for Tim Keiderling, 58, and his daughter Esther Keiderling, 28, on Monday morning, when their vehicle was spotted in a day-use parking lot near the Abol Campground. Tim Keiderling's body was found on Tuesday and Ester Keiderling's was found Wednesday.
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WATCH HEREJoe Keiderling, Tim's brother and Ester's uncle, shared a tribute as the family grieves the loss.
"Our family is reeling from the tragic and sudden deaths of two beloved members, my brother Tim Keiderling and his 28-year-old daughter Esther Keiderling," Joe wrote. "We are, however, lifted and carried by an outpouring of love and prayers from people who knew and loved them all over the world.
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SIGN UP Tim was utterly unique. He was, first of all, a devoted father of six children and grandfather of two. Many young men and women remember him as an elementary school teacher who could hold them spellbound with wildly imaginative stories and escapades in the woods and fields of the Hudson Valley he called home. My brother was widely read and deeply knowledgeable about so many topics: history, philosophy, theology, science, politics. In free time, he loved tending his raspberry, blueberry, or strawberry gardens or fruit orchards. He was also a lifelong beekeeper, producing thousands of pounds of honey.
At church gatherings, Tim was a regular contributor, not only as a lay pastor but as a gifted storyteller, bringing life and vitality to familiar Bible stories and making them relevant to the issues of the day. At home, he was the consummate host and loved nothing more than lively conversation and a great laugh. Though not possessed of a great singing voice, he would still unabashedly belt out favorite songs at all occasions, some written entirely himself or with his wife Annemarie.
Esther, while quieter than her father, was a deeply sensitive, thinking young woman. Always aware of the people around her, she was notably attentive to their needs. She loved reading and writing, with a particular fondness for the poets Gerard Manley Hopkins and Edna St. Vincent Millay. Tim and Esther were particularly close.
Though deeply grieving, the family knows that both Tim and Esther would want us to continue their mission of laughter and community, grounded in a faith that will hold us through this deep and lasting pain."
The Keiderlings are from Ulster Park, a town on the Hudson River near Kingston.
