The wife of Tafari Campbell, a chef who worked at the White House and later became former President Barrack Obama’s personal chef, said her life will never be the same after her husband’s body was recovered near the former first family’s estate in Martha’s Vineyard on Monday.
“My heart is broken,” Sherise Campbell said in an Instagram post on July 25. “My life and our family’s life is forever changed. Please pray for me and our families as I deal with the loss of my husband.”
The grieving widow posted the tribute to her late husband along with a picture of Mr. Campbell smiling in a kitchen. The message came from Ms. Campbell’s bakery and catering service named “Sweet Sage Baking and Catering.”
“No words can express what I am feeling,” she wrote in another statement, adding due to recent events that happened in the family, the business will not accept any inquiries or orders.
Mr. Campbell’s body was recovered from Edgartown Great Pond shortly before 10 a.m. on July 24 by Massachusetts State Police.
Authorities launched a search and rescue operation on July 23 after a fellow paddleboarder of Mr. Campbell reported that his friend had struggled on the surface, went under, and didn’t resurface.
On July 24, state police announced that sonar from a boat had successfully located the body. It was revealed that the victim, Mr. Campbell, was not wearing a life jacket at the time of the incident, as confirmed by the police.
The recovery operation took place approximately 100 feet from the pond’s shore, at a depth of approximately eight feet. Videos posted on Mr. Campbell’s Instagram page in 2019 showed he was a trained swimmer.
The 45-year-old chef of Dumfries, Virginia, was employed by the Obamas and was visiting Martha’s Vineyard when he drowned near the family’s estate.
In a second update, officials said an investigation into the fatality is being jointly conducted by the State Police Detective Unit for the Cape and Islands District and Edgartown Police.
Authorities have also confirmed that the Obamas were not present at their nearby residence at the time of the incident but were on the island.
Mr. Obama and Michelle Obama shared a touching tribute in a joint statement, describing Mr. Campbell as “a talented sous chef” who had become a “beloved part of our family.”
“Tafari was a beloved part of our family. When we first met him, he was a talented sous chef at the White House—creative and passionate about food, and its ability to bring people together,” their statement reads.
The Obamas said Mr. Campbell was a “warm, fun, extraordinarily kind person” who made their lives “a little brighter.”
“That’s why, when we were getting ready to leave the White House, we asked Tafari to stay with us, and he generously agreed,” the Obamas’ statement reads. “He’s been part of our lives ever since, and our hearts are broken that he’s gone.”
“Today we join everyone who knew and loved Tafari—especially his wife Sherise and their twin boys, Xavier and Savin—in grieving the loss of a truly wonderful man,” their statement concludes.
Epoch Times reporter Caden Pearson contributed to this report.
