Mother remembers daughter who died swimming in Lake Michigan the month before her wedding

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OZAUKEE COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A family is grieving after their daughter died swimming in Lake Michigan.

Paige Berndt and her fiance were swept away by rough conditions. Dive teams are still searching for the male victim's body.

Boats, drones, and divers worked all day again Thursday to recover the body of Zahi Adl.

When the rough water got him, it also got his fiance Paige Berndt. Two families must now deal with the sudden shock, one month before they were set to get married.

Lauralie Blader thought the next time she came to Wisconsin from her Ohio home would be to see her daughter Paige get married. Instead, she's here planning her memorial service.

"Now I know how it feels for people that say it's hard to lose a child but it's ok," said Blader.

Three friends who were with Paige and her fiance Zahi made it out of the lake uninjured. They told Lauralie that the water turned in an instant.

"She looked one moment and Paige was waving and smiling and the next moment, she was gone so that's how quickly," said Blader.

Lauralie says she can still hear Paige's laugh and was proud of her daughter for her success in life.

"Not many people are that dedicated so I was honored to be part of her life," said Blader.

Outside Water Street Brewery in Grafton where she worked as a general manager, there's a small memorial. Coworkers say they'll remember Paige as someone who made everyone happy.

"We're all trying to handle it together, process the feelings together, be there for one another," said Chuck Kiel, manager at Water Street Brewery.

"I'm gonna miss her very much. My life. Parents aren't supposed to bury their children."

A memorial service will be held at the Water Street Brewery Sunday for friends and family.

There's also a GoFundMe set up. If you'd like to donate, click here

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