Family speaks out after father found dead in San Luis Reservoir
He leaves behind his wife, eight children including a two-year-old son, and three grandchildren.
MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Valley family is honoring a father who was found dead after he went missing last month.
57-year-old Cheng Chang went missing on September 21 after fishing near Highway 152 and Vista Point.
After over a week of searching, the Merced County Sheriff's Office said his body was found on Sunday morning at the San Luis Reservoir.
"I wish that I had the last words with my dad. I wish I could be with him and tell him that I love him and how much he means to me," said Maikou Chang, Cheng's daughter.
Chang said her dad fished in the area for over 30 years.
"He loved hunting, he loved doing outdoor fishing. He was the kind of guy that would fish wearing jeans. He would go and fish and be halfway in the water wearing his jeans, and I'd be like 'what are you doing dad?'. But nothing stopped him from what he liked to do," Chang said.
Before he was found, Chang took to social media to post about her father's disappearance, and she said she was taken back by the response.
"So many people reached out saying 'Your father was such a nice guy, I ran into him all the time at 152', you know, San Luis Reservoir," said Chang.
Her father was all about family. Chang says the one thing that hurts is knowing her dad won't be around the people he loved the most.
"Love the people you have around you. Spend as much time as you can with the people that you love, cause you never know," said Chang.
The Merced County Sheriff's Office said the coroner is expected to complete an autopsy this week.
His daughter tells Action News he was just a few weeks shy of his 58th birthday.
He leaves behind his wife, eight children including a two-year-old son, and three grandchildren.
The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help during this difficult time.
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