Nantucket Mourns The Loss Of Beloved Shingler "Wong" In Tragic Paddleboard Accident

A man who was paddle boarding in Polpis Harbor was found dead Wednesday afternoon after he was reported missing by his partner, according to state and local authorities.

The man was identified by friends and coworkers as Somwong Kyomitmaitee, of Nantucket, who was known around the island as "Wong" and had been dubbed the "King of Shing" for his many years running a shingling business.

Kyomitmaitee was reported overdue at 2:58 p.m. on Wednesday by his partner.

"The family of the missing person had reported he had left their house in the morning, to check on a boat moored in Polpis Harbor and had not been heard from since," Nantucket Police Department Lt. Angus MacVicar said. "A short time after patrol officers arrived on location, members of the Nantucket Harbor Master’s Office reported they had located a paddle board and the reported missing person on the shoreline of Polpis Harbor. The missing person was unfortunately determined to be deceased and was not transported to Nantucket Cottage Hospital by the Nantucket Fire Department. This case has been received by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and does not appear to be suspicious."

Nantucket Harbormaster Sheila Lucey and Coast Guard Station Brant Point both launched vessels to respond to the area following the initial report. Lucey said they first discovered a paddle board in the area, then found the man unresponsive in the marsh. They provided first aid until they could reach Nantucket Fire Department crews that had arrived at 278 Polpis Road, just west of the first Polpis Harbor public entrance.

The Coast Guard scrambled helicopters from Cape Cod after the initial report, but they were ultimately not needed after the man was found by crews on the water.

As word spread of Kyomitmaitee's death on Wednesday and Thursday, there was an outpouring of grief and mourning on social media pages, as island residents, co-workers, and friends shared fond memories of "Wong," the King of Shing.

"One thing I believe on Nantucket is spiritual," Kyomitmaitee said in a 2014 interview with the Nantucket Historical Association. "This island has so much energy on the ground you walk on. It's been amazing...

"This is the best thing about Nantucket - friendship, you know?," Kyomitmaitee continued. "Twenty, 30 years ago you do things for people, they do things for you. So I shingle for people - so many houses - for no money. Help out. 'I'll shingle your house for you.' The guy go, 'great, yeah." Next thing I know, now people start to come in. 'Hey, let me do this for you, let me do that for you." I got my friend come and help me do the plumbing, electric, sheetrock, stairway - everything. I literally [didn't] use any money to build my own home. That's one great thing about Nantucket."

In that 2014 interview with the NHA, Kyomitmaitee shared his background and how he came to the United States.

"Somwong Kyomitmaitee, known locally as 'Wong,' grew up in Bangkok, Thailand in the house of a local neighborhood boss – his father," according to a summary of the interview. "In order to deter Wong’s potential delinquency, his father forced him to leave Thailand as a teenager. Dropped off in Las Vegas at the age of 19, Wong learned to fend for himself, eventually making his way to Boston where he washed dishes for a man named Chin. When Chin opened a restaurant on Nantucket in 1989, he asked Wong to come with him. After working through years of discrimination and teaching himself English through a clever application of junk mail, Wong eventually found work with contractor Bob Cranston."

In addition to working in the trades, Kyomitmaitee also founded the Nantucket Trading Post on Nobadeer Farm Road.

"And Nantucket taught me a lot," Kyomitmaitee told the NHA. "So never feel sorry one second that I am here today. And I did really well compared with - every time I go back to Thailand people think I was a Donald Trump. Million Dollar Man and [unclear]. I go, 'no, no. I'm not rich at home. I'm happy and I have what I focus for. I have what I mission for and have a happy family. And place I am is great.' So they, 'oh, Nantucket!' They all wanted to come."

Wong was recently featured in a story about local Nantucket residents by WCVB: