CHINCOTEAGE ISLAND, Va--Wesley Bloxom was Delmarva's famous Saltwater Cowboy. He was a father, a brother, Chincoteague volunteer firefighter. His younger brother, Paul Bloxom, explains how much he meant.
"He was not only my brother, he was my bestfriend,” says Bloxom.
Bloxom died earlier this week after battling cancer. He was 78-years-old. His son says his father meant the world to him.
"He showed me a lot,” says Bloxom.
He taught the entire community a lot. Bloxom dedicated much of his life to teaching other firefighters about the Chincoteague pony swim.
Nathan Clark worked with Bloxom. Clark says everything he knew about the pony swim came from him.
"Right down to caring for the horses if we had a pony that would come ill, sick, he would be the one I would go to and ask,” says Clark.
The race raises hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department. It's one of Delmarva's biggest events!
"His memory and his legacy will live with this fire company because I am sure the guys with the pony committee will say um, you know this is the way Wesley did it,” says J Jeffries.
Firefighters say Bloxom is one of the reasons why the event was always a success.
They hope to carry on his legacy.
