Those were the words of Fleur Abd-El-Kaddous, the widow of 42-year-old Peter (Pace) Abd-El-Kaddous who drowned at Wagga Beach on Wednesday.

Friends and family gathered on the banks of the Murrumbidgee on Saturday – a stone’s throw from where Mr Abd-El-Kaddous’ body was discovered a day before – to share stories of the “gentle giant”.

Mrs Abd-El-Kaddous, nee Chaplin, who grew up in Mount Austin, described herself as a miracle recipient for having had the privilege of knowing her husband for the past two decades. 

“I miss him, I love him,” she said.

“He had a heart of gold, lived life to the fullest and put everyone else first.

“I'll always remember him being able to make me laugh and laughing at my stupid jokes.

“He was everything you wished you could be; I'll never forget him.”

Mourners observed a Coptic Orthodox tradition of throwing wheat and barley into the river to symbolise new life.

The couple were visiting from Craigieburn in Victoria over Christmas when a seemingly innocuous decision to cool off in the river ended in tragedy. 

Reports suggested Mr Abd-El-Kaddous was wearing three-quarter length shorts that weighed him down to the point that he was unable to stay afloat.

Mrs Abd-El-Kaddous had a hold of her husband, but due to the force of the water she lost her grip and he slipped underwater.

She believed the stark heat differential between the 34.4 degree day and the far cooler water contributed to the drowning and warned swimmers to acclimatise.

“That river is so murky that once I lost him for a split second, I couldn't find him,” she said.

“He was a very strong swimmer and we'd swum for less than one minute and he was already in trouble; he couldn't breathe,” she said.

“I'm almost certain going from being very hot to really cold water took his breath away.

“Be careful of the difference in temperature from outside and inside the river and learn the currents, learn the undertows, know where to swim, how to float and possibly use a flotation device.”

Mrs Abd-El-Kaddous thanked emergency services, who “looked with their hands to find him for days”.