Dad of 4 and Army Veteran Was Delivering Medicine When He Was Killed by Texas Floodwaters, Son Believes (Exclusive)
Am Army veteran who is believed to have been delivering medicine when he was swept away by devastating floodwaters in Texas has died, according to his son and officials.
The body of William Govaniavic Venus, 57, was found on Monday, July 7, Burnet County Sheriff's Office Capt. Mike Sorenson confirmed to PEOPLE on Tuesday, July 8.
He is among at least five people who died in Burnet County as a result of the flooding, according to Sorenson.
Venus, a father of four adult children, three sons and a daughter, was in the Army for more than 30 years, his son William Venus Jr. tells PEOPLE.
"He was in Desert Storm," his son says, adding that his father also served in other operations in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan before retiring as a command sergeant major.
An Army spokesperson confirmed his service record to PEOPLE, saying that he served as a senior maintenance supervisor in the regular Army from July 1987 to July 2017, and earned many awards, including three Bronze Star Medals.
"He was a servant to whatever community he found himself in," says his 34-year-old son. "It didn't matter where he was."
The elder Venus, who lived in Belton, Texas, had been delivering medicine, which he did for a living, when he was swept away from his car, his son believes.
Sorenson said Venus' body was discovered about a quarter mile from his car, which the floodwaters washed into Hamilton Creek.
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His son posted a photo of his father on Facebook on July 7, the same day he traveled from his home in Maryland to Texas. In the post, he asked the public for help finding his dad and included phone numbers where he could be reached.
His post was shared more than 6,000 times and Venus said he received many calls from people who worked with his father in various places around the world.
"He was a hero," Venus added through tears. "God would have been better off taking me because he had a whole lot more work he could have done in this world."
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