A man died Sunday while saving two children from Lake Michigan in Racine, Wisconsin.

The Racine County Sheriff's Office said deputies were called to North Beach about 3:05 p.m. for a water rescue.

Investigators said the man was unaccounted for after he went into the lake to save two boys.

"The children showed that they were in distress, and an adult male relative entered the water to save the children," the sheriff said. "The adult male assisted in the rescue of the young children; however, he did not emerge from the water."

Deputies quickly began to search for the man.

His body was pulled from the lake just after 4 p.m.

Lifesaving efforts were initiated and he was taken to Ascension All Saints Hospital.

That's where doctors pronounced him dead.

The sheriff's office said the family was visiting from Missouri.

The victim was described as a 40-year-old man.

He was identified Monday afternoon as Thomas J. Walker.

The ages of the children were not made public.

They were not injured.

"He was a kind soul and an amazing uncle to his niece and nephews. And how we lost him is a testament to how great an uncle and all-around guy he was. (We) never met a person who didn't like him. He is missed greatly," his family said in a prepared statement released by the sheriff.

The National Weather Service had issued a warning of hazardous water conditions on Lake Michigan Sunday.

It included Racine County beaches.

Life-threatening waves up to 5 feet in height and dangerous currents were possible.

"The sheriff's office commends the heroic actions of the man who assisted in saving the lives of these two young children," Sheriff Christopher Schmaling said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family, and his loved ones. We also encourage people to take the time to investigate current lake conditions before entering Lake Michigan and take all necessary precautions. This, like the other unfortunate drownings this summer, are tragic, incredibly sad, and preventable."

No other information was available.

The victim is the fourth person to drown at Racine beaches this summer.

The three other victims were children.

Watch the video above for the full story.

After a 45-year nursing career, a Wisconsin woman decided to move to another continent to help others.

Louise Omdahl has clocked 45 years in nursing, 34 of them with Ascension Wisconsin. She just wrapped up her final days as a family nurse practitioner at the Mount Pleasant clinic.

"Very bittersweet, it really is. I don’t feel old enough to be retiring, but it’s OK because I’m non-retiring," Omdahl said with a laugh.

Over the years, Omdahl completed more than a dozen medical missions around the world. Four of them were in Liberia, Africa. Her office is filled with keepsakes.

"When I went in 2010, I really fell in love with the country and I said, 'yup, Liberia is where I belong,'" Omdahl said.

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The mother of four who grew up in Cudahy has dreamed of putting down roots in the West African country. While working with a missionary group, Omdahl will see patients and teach nursing students for at least two years.

"I’ve always felt like God gave me all this knowledge and ability to learn things for more reasons than just to have an easy life, not that nursing is necessarily an easy life, but in America, it really is. There’s no two ways around it. I’ve just felt that, you know, God loves me. I can share it elsewhere and that’s what I’m going to do in very tangible ways because people need the health care," Omdahl said.

Racine nurse practitioner starts "non-retirement" to serve others in Liberia

Liberia is more than 5,000 miles away and has a smaller population than Wisconsin. It is a country that has been through a lengthy civil war, an Ebola outbreak, and many infectious diseases.

Omdahl recalled that after the civil war and again after the Ebola outbreak, the country's infrastructure and health care system were destroyed. At one point, there were so few physicians in the country that Omdahl said she knew all of them.

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"It’s a matter of working with them and helping them be where they want to be, because for so long they just didn’t have the opportunity," Omdahl said.

"It’s a country that’s gone through so much, and yet the people are so open and so loving and so friendly, and still see the best in life."

Coworkers were not surprised about Omdahl's next chapter.

"She’s going to have a big impact. She’s a great teacher. She’s very thorough, very caring, very kind," said Linda Paul, a registered nurse.

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"We’re going to miss her greatly. Our patients are going to really miss her, but Liberia, it's going to be really - it’s a blessing for them to get her because she'll do a lot of great work," said Dr. Darnella Gist, a family medicine physician.

Amid the hectic packing and preparing, Omdahl seemed calm and ready to chase her dream.

"I’m going to miss that of all the patients that I see, and I’m going to miss all the people I worked with. I’ve worked with fabulous people over the years," Omdahl said.

In addition to her work, Omdahl will bring needed oxygen tank regulators from Ascension Wisconsin to Liberia.

Omdahl still has a lengthy to-do list before she heads out, but if all goes well, she will be in Liberia before summer ends.

This story was originally published by Mary Jo Ola at WTMJ.