Aspiring pastor, 22, drowns in front of his newlywed wife as ‘3 days of wedded bliss’ turns into nightmare

FLORIDA: A young Iowa woman became a widow after three short days of “wedded bliss” as her husband, an aspiring pastor, tragically drowned near Crescent Beach on July 30.

A day after the incident, Cheyenne Cottrell, 22, wrote an emotional post on Facebook saying: “Yesterday afternoon while at the beach the Lord decided to call my husband Dalton to come home to him." “3 days of wedded bliss turned into a nightmare very quickly for the Cottrell family as well as mine own," Cheyenne wrote in her post.

Dalton Cottrell, 22, and Cheyenne were celebrating their honeymoon in Florida after tying the knot on Saturday in Kansas City, Missouri, People reports.

The newlywed couple was enjoying a swim at Crescent Beach in St. Augustine on Tuesday when they were swept by a strong current deeper into the ocean.

Cheyenne told authorities that Dalton "began to struggle" as the current got stronger, KCRG-TVreported.

“She attempted to assist him, but was unable to help him due to him pulling her under,” police said in a statement. “She advised at one point after him being under the water for approximately for a minute he came back up, and his eyes were rolled in the back of his head."

According to CNN, a nearby paddleboarder, a St. Johns County lifeguard, and a man named William David Foy rescued the couple and brought them onshore.

The lifeguard then proceeded to perform CPR on Dalton, but it was too late as he underwent cardiac arrest. He was later pronounced dead at Flagler Hospital.

“There is so much fear and uncertainty coursing through myself. My parents came down early this morning to be with me as I begin this next journey,” Cheyenne wrote. “Never did I think at 22 would I be a wife and then a widow so quickly. Please pray for I and all families as we grief [sic],” she wrote.

The family is yet to make funeral arrangements and is hoping to raise money for Dalton's memorial via GoFundMe.

Dalton reportedly aspired to become a pastor before his untimely demise. He was a Pastoral Training major at Faith Bible College, where Cheyenne was also a student and had recently completed her junior year.

The institution released a statement after the sudden tragic news and has scheduled prayer and memorial for Dalton Tuesday night.

Dr. Jim Tillotson, president of Faith Bible College, said Dalton’s death was especially hard for him.

“Having just lost my mom a few weeks ago due to an accident, it was not advice that I needed but love, prayers, and support," he said. "I would like to encourage Eagle Nation to pray for, love, and support both Cheyenne and Dalton’s family. Let’s go heavy on love and light on advice.”