Alexandria's John Braswell Identified as Michigan Drowning Victim

The Alexandria man who died Friday while swimming in a lake in northwestern Michigan has been identified as John Braswell, according to WJLA.

Braswell, 58, was a partner at Redmon, Peyton and Braswell LLP. The law firm has an office in Old Town in the 500 block of King Street.

"He was a very good friend with just about everyone he knew,” said John Rogers, a partner at the firm. “He was well-respected and well-liked. He was very active in the local bar association and was active in youth sports, coaching soccer for many years."

On Friday, Braswell and another man attempted to swim from an island in the middle of Long Lake in Grand Traverse County to the mainland, according to a Washington Post report.

The other man made it to shore but Braswell did not. At one point, Braswell yelled to the other man that he couldn’t make it all the way to the mainland and would turn back to the island, according to the Post.

The survivor told sheriff's deputies he looked back, but lost sight of Braswell, according to WTOP. He assumed the Braswell made it back to the island. 

A Long Lake Township resident informed police of the incident around 12:20 p.m. Friday, according to The Post.

Braswell was visiting family in Michigan, Rogers said. 

The Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office did not initially release Braswell’s name.

The office’s dive team found his body in about 50 feet of water in Long Lake, according to the Post.

Braswell’s work as a lawyer focused on complex estate planning, probate litigation, real estate law, taxation, commercial transactions and commercial litigation, according to the bio on his firm’s website.

A longtime Alexandria resident, Braswell grew up in Old Town. He graduated from Duke University in 1977 and earned his law degree from Georgetown in 1980.

Braswell’s brother, Harry, owns a construction business in Alexandria.

John Braswell is survived by his wife Pauline and a daughter, Morgan.