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SANTA BARBARA COUNTY
Neighbors, friends remember shark attack victim
Posted: Oct 23, 2012 10:32 PM by Connie Tran, KSBY News
Updated: Oct 24, 2012 9:22 PM
The community of Orcutt is still reeling from the news that resident Francisco Javier Solorio, Jr. was the victim of a deadly shark attack on Tuesday morning.
Neighbors said Solorio was an avid surfer, and could be seen riding local waves almost everyday.
"It's sad, it really is sad. We hope that everything is good with the family," said one neighbor.
Neighbors and friends said Solorio is best described as a family man. They said he is leaving behind a wife and young daughter. They said when he wasn't tending to the needs of his family, he was tending to the rush of his hobby.
Close surfing friend Kilian Garland said, "Fran was a dedicated surfer. He supported his family to the fullest, he loved the ocean, he breathed every spray, each wave he crashed."
Garland said he was thrilled when Solorio, or "Fran" as he called him, moved next door to his childhood home in Orcutt, because he finally found someone who was passionate about surfing as well. They quickly became buddies, and Garland said they would see each other all the time at the beach. After that, they began to surf together.
Garland said he saw Solorio just last week, and Solorio looked great. Garland said Solorio's untimely death is a wake-up call to the community.
"I've already been a little bit cautious... talking to friends that have had sightings," said Garland.
Garland said Solorio's memory will be ever present in the ocean, as well as in the lives and hearts that he's touched.
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