Rescue crews have not been able to find a kayaker who’s been missing since Wednesday night. Rescue crews say, at this point, there’s no way 60-year-old Dennis Houck from South Bend can survive in the water.

"I could only hope to be half the man my dad was,” says Nathan Houck, the kayaker’s son. “Only hope."

Nathan stands at the bank of the St. Joseph River Thursday morning, holding onto a picture of his dad and sharing all the attributes he loves about his father.

"I feel bad for all the people that didn't get a chance to get to know my daddy. He would have given you the shirt off his back," Nathan says. "My whole life my daddy was my idol. He was who I wanted to be."

Nathan says his dad loved kayaking and loved being on the water.

"He felt at peace out here,” Nathan says. “This is when he got to be him. This is when he got to talk to God. It's when he felt at home."

At about 3 o’clock Wednesday afternoon, Houck headed to the river and launched his kayak at the Riverside boat launch near Darden Road in St. Joseph County, like he does most days. But his wife got worried when he didn’t come home. At about 8 p.m. she called police. About an hour later rescue crews found Houck’s kayak capsized near Lilac Road. His life vest was found inside but Houck was not. Houck’s family says sometimes he wears a life vest and sometimes he does not.

Rescue crews called off the search at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday and began again at daybreak Thursday morning. They combed through piles of branches and debris and scanned the surface of the water all the way to Niles. Still, no luck.

"Dennis made an impact on my life by being a man's man,” shares Renaldo Wilmoth, Houck’s friend, as he also stands along the river bank. “Not the kind you think of as burly and all that. He just did things that real men do. He's kind. He was nice. He was always willing to help somebody. "I'm gonna miss him. That's my friend."

Houck leaves behind his wife, two kids and three grandkids. He was a carpenter and often did work for free for friends, even strangers. Houck was also the deacon at Berean Seventh-Day Adventist Church in South Bend.

"Smile and be happy you're alive. Hug your family. Never know when it's going to be the last time. I didn't think it was going to be my last time yesterday,” Nathan says.

Emergency responders say the river is too high, the current is too strong and the water is too cold for anyone to survive this long. They say with temperatures this cold, hypothermia will set in within two-three minutes.

"Don't feel bad for me. I got to spend my life with him,” Nathan whispers as he looks at the picture of his dad. “Just gonna miss him. Gonna miss him."