Dozens gather to remember missing Georgia boaters on year anniversary of disappearance

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — At a dedication ceremony Monday night, dozens of people gathered to remember three Georgia men who were lost at sea.

Oct. 14 marks one year since the men embarked on a fishing trip out of Brunswick.

Dalton Conway, Caleb Wilkinson, and Tyler Barlow never came home.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

“It’s difficult to think about them going out happy, excited, ready to catch some fish, come home and that didn’t happen,” Tyler’s mom Kim Cardounel said with a shaky voice.

“We weren’t expecting to be here today, we thought we were going to find them by now,” Caleb’s fiancé, Dalton’s sister Stevie Conway said.

The families worked tirelessly trying to find them. From the skies to the seas, they had an entire community of people searching.

Read: Search plane, volunteers called in to help find missing fishermen out of Brunswick

“We had a tremendous amount of people come out and help,” Tyler’s dad, Chris Barlow said. “The people that walk the beaches, the pilots that were flying for us, all the people that were searching by boat, it was a tremendous effort.”

They only found a fish-bin from the “Carol Ann” - the boat the boys were on.

“We don’t have answers, but we have 365 days of love and unity,” Kim said.

They received an outpouring of love.

To honor these men lost at sea, the City of St. Marys dedicated the Seafarer’s Memorial Park.

The families shared their appreciation for everyone coming out and supporting them.

Stevie Conway lost her brother, her friend, and the father of her child.

Read: ‘They have reasons to come home;’ Families of missing fishermen won’t give up the search

“It’s disappointing. You have all these ideas in your mind of how they’re going to be a father,” Stevie said. “And unfortunately, he doesn’t get that, and it just sucks. And I just feel so bad for him, [Levi], that he’s already missing out on that part of life to have a father, and there’s nothing we can do to fix that – he just never got to meet him.”

But while this family lost their loved ones, they gained a precious gift – little Levi.

“We are more than blessed that we have this little piece of Caleb,” Stevie said. “The fact that we do have him makes everything all the better.”

Now, they’re left with their memories.

“He was a great kid, and in many ways, he was my best friend,” Chris said about his son, Tyler.

But it’s not just memories, they are living on through a page made by community members that monitors buoy cameras- which helped find others lost at sea.

“We are now saving other lives just with the pages dedicated to the boys,” Stevie said.

The project won’t be completed until they get the funding. For more information on how to donate, click here.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Read: Family speaks out as the U.S. Coast Guard continues search for three missing fishermen

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.