Dad dies of heart attack suffered minutes after father-daughter wedding dance

A heartbreaking Facebook post is going viral after it was revealed that a South Carolina father died of a heart attack minutes after dancing with his daughter at her wedding in Costa Rica.

Jeni Buchanan shared the tragic story of her late husband’s passing. Of veteran detective Tim Buchanan, she wrote:

You never know when the last time will be the last time! Tim came into my life at a time when I was broken to the core and held me up and built me into a strong person. Over the years we raised four amazing children, cared for my little brothers when they needed us the most and had even had the honor of a beautiful grandchild. He was the most beautiful soul I have ever known and I will never be the same without him. I know he loved me and our family. I am so very grateful for this image of us that our dear friends Kelly Rae Stewart and her husband snuck during our daughter’s wedding yesterday. Little did I know just a few hours later we would lose him.

Here’s the beautiful photograph to which Jeni Buchanan referred:

A family friend set up a GoFundMe page to assist with funeral expenses:

Jeni and Tim were so excited to head to Costa Rica a few days ago to see their daughter, who lives there, marry the man of her dreams yesterday (9/3/16). If you know Jeni, you know how much Tim means to her, and how wonderful that love is that they share as husband and wife. During the wedding, after the father-daughter dance, Tim had a heart attack. Sadly, he didn’t survive it. Our hearts are broken for his wife, Jeni, and their entire family. Through the shock of their terrible loss, Jeni has to now deal with arrangements and expenses that she wasn’t at all prepared for.  I know that Jeni would be so grateful for any donation that you can make, and of course, prayers for her and their family. Tim served as a Detective for the York County Sheriff’s Office in Rock Hill, SC. Many of you know that Jeni is a wedding photographer, and understandably, she will need some time away from that after such a tragic event at her own daughter’s wedding, so any financial help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support during this very difficult time.

Jeni Buchanan followed up later with a heartfelt thank you for all the support the family has received since the story started spreading on the internet:

The outpouring of love and support from everyone is greatly appreciated but also overwhelming as we are trying to grieve. If you know Tim, you would know that he wouldn’t want any kind of hoopla about anything, but he can’t argue right now, so let me pass along this message from our family. Family was the most important thing to him, to the point that he ignored his body telling him something was wrong. He should have gone to the doctor, but he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to attend our daughter’s wedding. Every one of us wish he was still here and hadn’t ignored the signs that something was wrong. If there is anything you can do for us, it is to take care of yourself and your loved ones. If we can save just one life with our tragedy, then he can be a hero one more time.

Sheriff Bruce Bryant told The Herald, “All of our hearts are saddened about the loss of this great law enforcement officer. Tim dedicated almost 19 years to this profession as an outstanding deputy, forensics investigator and most recently detective in computer crimes. His talents will be sorely missed.”

The top image is of Tim and Jeni together from their vow renewal ceremony in 2014.