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2 Iowa teachers die after accidentally drowning in pool

A pair of teachers and longtime friends from Iowa were found dead in a residential pool on Monday.
/ Source: TODAY

An Iowa community is mourning the loss of a pair of teachers and good friends who were found dead after accidentally drowning in a residential pool.

Mark Anderson, 60, and Kenneth Anderson, 57, were both found dead on Monday night after an accidental drowning in a pool, the Davenport Police Department said in a news release on Facebook Tuesday.

Two Iowa teachers die after accidental drowning
Iowa teachers Mark Anderson (left) and Kenneth Anderson (no relation) both died in an accidental drowning in a pool, police said. Bellevue Community Schools

The two men, whom police said were not related, both taught in the Bellevue Community School District, according to NBC affiliate KWQC. Kenneth Anderson taught social studies and coached multiple sports for over 30 years in the district, while Mark Anderson was a teacher and coach there from 1983-2001 before moving to the nearby North Scott district.

"(Kenneth) always had a positive way of looking at things," Bellevue Superintendent Tom Meyer told the Des Moines Register. "He had a good sense of humor for students, staff, administration — everybody."

The two men were house-sitting for John Wisor, who owns the nearby 11th Street Precinct Bar and Grill, when their bodies were discovered by an acquaintance who went to check on them, police told the Des Moines Register.

"They were all at a function, and (Kenneth Anderson and Mark Anderson) left to check on the house and went swimming," Davenport police Maj. Jeff Bladel said Wednesday. "And the other (man) went home. Later, he went looking for them."

Wisor was vacationing in the Dominican Republic and returned home on Tuesday. He told the Des Moines Register that Kenneth Anderson is the father of a daughter, while Mark Anderson has two children.

"(Kenneth and Mark) were two of my great friends; two of the greatest people I have ever known," Wisor told the newspaper. "It was a tragic accident. It’s horrible that this happened, but tragedies happen sometimes. Everyone should feel bad."

The police have ruled the deaths as accidental drownings but are investigating them further. Some local residents have their suspicions about the incident.

“Even if you slipped and fell and hit your head that would be one person,” local business owner Cindy Denike told local affiliate WQAD. “But is it likely two people would do that? I don’t know – it’s odd."

"(The commenters) just try to create some fantastic story," Wisor told the Des Moines Register. “They have no idea the two men that were lost."