Lisa MacDonald has visited the beach in South Haven only once — to celebrate what would’ve been her daughter’s twentieth birthday.
Just weeks before starting her sophomore year at Michigan State University in 2022, Emily MacDonald and her 22-year-old boyfriend, Kory Ernster, drowned in Lake Michigan. They were visiting for a family trip. The tragedy happened on a yellow-flag day, when a hidden current swept them away.
There hadn’t been lifeguards at the beach in more than two decades.
MacDonald returned for Memorial Day 2026, fulfilling a promise she made to herself after losing Emily and Kory four summer ago — that she would fight to make sure their lives had purpose.
Specifically, she fought to return lifeguards to the beaches, in hopes of sparing another parent the pain she’s had to carry. She was successful. Following a years-long, grassroots campaign, lifeguards are once again patrolling South Beach in South Haven.
“It’s my grief that fueled the flames for this fight,” said MacDonald, of Chesterfield Township. “Emily and Kory deserve this. They are not just numbers on a statistical chart. … They have to be remembered for more than just drowning.”
Lawsuits, deaths, community activism drove change
South Haven City Council officially approved the lifeguard program — which is expected to cost $500,000 — in November, following multiple deaths, lawsuits and the dogged efforts of safety advocates and MacDonald.
South Haven was among dozens of beach towns that did away with lifeguards when the state eliminated the program at public parks in 1993 — all citing money, liability and staffing shortage concerns. Most towns opted for the cheaper alternative of a green (good), yellow (use caution), red (stay away) flag system, including South Haven.
It was a costly decision.
Since getting rid of lifeguards in 2001, South Haven has seen 12 drowning deaths. In the 40 years the city had lifeguards, there were two.
Currently, three grieving families — including MacDonald’s — are suing the city over the drowning deaths of three teenagers in two separate lawsuits. They maintain lifeguards could’ve saved their loved ones’ lives. Those lawsuits are pending; one before the Michigan Supreme Court.
Currently, in a state of more than 1,000 beaches, and where tourists spent $29.3 billion in 2023, there are only four beaches with lifeguards on Lake Michigan: St. Joseph, New Buffalo, Escanaba Lake and now South Haven.
According to an analysis by the Free Press of statistics compiled by the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, there have been at least 136 fatal drownings on the eastern coastline of Lake Michigan over the last fifteen years.
Nearly half of those fatal drownings occurred in five cities: Holland, which saw 15; Muskegon, 14; Grand Haven, 12; South Haven, 11, and Ludington, 11.
How does the new lifeguard program work?
South Haven’s new crew of lifeguards participated in a two-week bootcamp this month in anticipation of the program’s debut on South Beach on Monday, May 25. They are scheduled to be on duty daily 11 a.m.-7 p.m. — depending on staffing levels. While the city’s other beaches will be unguarded, there are future plans to bring lifeguards to North Beach.
To help cover costs, the city has increased beach parking fees. The previous daily rate ($10) is now per hour ($3). The cost of a weekly parking pass also increased from $30 to $50.
For people like Josie Dillon, a local business owner who’s turned her storefront window into a lifeguard display in honor of the program, it’s money well spent.
“We are very, very happy and excited to welcome the lifeguards and consider them heroes,” said Dillon, who owns women’s boutique Renaissance.
“Our beaches are beautiful and inviting, but the currents can be deadly to the strongest of swimmers. Our flag system simply was not adequate. … We need eyes on the water and lifeguards in place for immediate rescues.”
Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lifeguards finally returned to South Haven over Memorial Day
Reporting by Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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