Heroic effort unable to prevent tragic death

RECOGNIZING THEIR RESPONSE: Stephanie Sarvia and Mitch Willsie, at right listen as from left Mayor Scott Avedisian, Rep. Evan Shanley, House Majority Leader K. Joseph Shekarchi, Greater Providence YMCA director Steven O’Donnell and Warwick Fire Chief James McLaughlin acknowledge their efforts to save Bill Creedon.

EXPRESSING HIS THANKS: The Rev. Joseph Creedon of Narragansett, whose brother Bill died the day after being stricken while swimming at the Kent County Y pool talks with lifeguard Stephanie Sarvia at Friday’s ceremony.

THEY WERE A TEAM: Barbara Fletcher, a member of the Y and a nurse, teamed up with lifeguard Stephanie Sarvia to give Bill Creedon CPR after Sarvia was pulled from the pool. Fletcher credits Sarvia with immediately noticing Creedon was having a heart attack and taking action.

Warwick Beacon · Tuesday, August 29, 2017 1:48 pm

By John Howell

Bill Creedon, 76, was known as a “character” by his friends at the Kent County YMCA.

“He was very opinionated,” says Barbara Fletcher. She said he would often show up as the staff gathered first thing in the morning when the Y opened at 5 a.m. Creedon was a regular at the Y and a member of the swimming club. He had been a member for the past 16 to 17 years. He would talk and get things buzzing.

It was not long after the Y opened on the morning of Aug. 11 that events turned in a different direction and the friendly banter became a rush to save Creedon’s life.

Lifeguard Stephanie Sarvia was on duty when she detected Creedon was having difficulty. She jumped into the water and pulled him out of the pool. Fletcher, a nurse with the Rhode Island Blood Center, and Sarvia immediately initiated CPR.

Joining them was another member of the Y staff, Mitch Willsie. Willsie and Fletcher set up an AED and the trio continued working on Creedon until he was handed off to the Warwick Fire Department EMTs and rushed to Kent Hospital.

He had a heartbeat and was breathing. There was hope. From Kent Creedon was transported to Rhode Island Hospital, where he underwent bypass surgery for a blocked artery.

Despite the efforts to save him, Creedon died some 20 hours after being stricken.

On Friday morning Creedon was remembered by the staff and members of the Y, as were the efforts of those who worked to save him from the moment Sarvia detected he was having problems and pulled him from the pool.

House Majority Leader Joseph Shekarchi praised the actions of the Y team, Fletcher and Warwick’s first responders. “In the moment of crisis they stepped up; they did all you can ask. Everything else is in God’s hands.”

Steven O’Donnell, chief executive officer of the YMCA of Greater Providence, likewise praised the actions of the Y staff and the response of Warwick first responders. Mayor Scott Avedisian noted seven officers responded to the scene, adding that in so many incidents “they don’t get thanked often enough.”

The mayor and Shekarchi issued citations for Sarvia and Willsie. Rick Nadeau, a member of the swim club, presented framed copies of a letter signed by 21 friends of Bill Creedon sent to O’Donnell to Sarvia, Willsie, Fletcher and Fire Chief James McLaughlin.

The letter tells the story of that Aug. 11 morning, saying that those initial efforts, which brought him back to life, “were so important to his family and friends, providing them time to be with Bill, to process what was happening, and for prayer that the outcome would be something different than what it turned out to be.”