A Tennessee community is in mourning after a beloved high school principal and his wife accidentally drowned to death.
Deputies with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office responded to Dale Hollow Marina on Sunday, where they found Jackson County High School Principal Dr. Frank Maxey ‘Max’ Petett, 59, and his wife, Tracy, 56, had died, WSMV reports.
The couple’s dog was still on their houseboat, where deputies believe the couple was spending the weekend.
The Petetts were then located on the other side of Dale Hollow Lake across from the marina, where an obituary says they ‘enjoyed spending their free time’ in addition to ‘spending their time with their children and families.’
Deputies believe the couple drowned and said foul play is not suspected in their death, but an official cause of death will not be determined until the Medical Examiner conducts autopsies.
Details about the drowning accident remain unclear, but authorities say they believe the couple’s deaths occurred on Saturday.
Following the tragic discovery, the Jackson County School District informed residents of Dr. Petett’s passing.
‘Dr. Petett was more than a leader, he was a mentor, a friend and a champion for our students and staff,’ school officials posted on Facebook. ‘His dedication, kindness and unwavering commitment to our school will never be forgotten.’
‘Our hearts are heavy with grief as we process this tremendous loss,’ the school district wrote, noting that counselors will be made available to all students and the high school will offer spaces for reflection and remembrance.
‘Let us lean on one another as we navigate the days ahead, honoring Dr. Petett by continuing the work he so passionately led.’
Many students and staff members commented on the post, sharing their memories of the beloved principal.
‘He was one of the best mentors/principals at CHS,’ Ella Mahaney wrote. ‘He cared for each and [every] one of his students. He will be greatly missed by everyone.’
Debbie Hammock Akers added that Petett ‘loved our faculty, staff and students, and it showed with the kindness he gave to us all.
‘It wasn’t uncommon to see him talking and laughing with students during class changes,’ she wrote, calling the principal ‘truly a great person.’
Emily Reeves also recounted how Petett would ‘smile at me in the mornings and wave at me before I would go to my classes,’ and Marsha Meadows Clariday said he would ‘sometimes help us clean tables at lunch.’
‘We will sure miss his smile and jokes and leadership,’ she wrote.
Petett had previously served as principal of Monroe County High School in Tompkinsville, Kentucky, but resigned from the post for ‘health and personal reasons’ before taking the job in Jackson County in 2019, according to the Herald-Citizen.
Both he and his wife were born in Kentucky, and Tracy worked as a registered nurse at the Monroe County Medical Center.
They are survived by their five children and three grandchildren.
