'Go home and hold your husband or wife tight': Spouse mourns Calgarian presumed drowned in B.C.

The wife of a Calgary man presumed dead after going missing when his boat capsized in a B.C. river last week is urging everyone to cherish every moment with their spouse.

Warren Tittemore, 35, is presumed dead, RCMP confirmed Monday. He's been missing since last Thursday night, when he and a friend were dumped into the Columbia River after their boat overturned about 20 kilometres south of Revelstoke.

He may have drowned after taking off his life jacket to try to remove heavy, wet clothes, RCMP said.

On her Facebook page, Tittemore's wife, Corrine Lynn, thanked everyone who had helped in the search.

"Warren was is and always will be the light and love of my life and I will never forget the best 4.5 years with the man of my dreams," she wrote.

"Go home and hold your husband or wife tight. Cherish every moment together," she urged others.

Tittemore and friend tried to swim to shore

Tittemore and another Alberta man were boating on the river near the Blanket Creek Campground when their 14-foot aluminum boat overturned.

Both men were wearing life jackets and attempted to swim to shore, but they got separated, RCMP said.

Tittemore's life jacket was recovered, leading RCMP to believe he took it off to remove heavy, wet clothing from underneath, Corp. Thomas Blakney told CBC News on Monday..

He said it's believed the river's strong currents, combined with darkness and likely hypothermia, prevented Tittemore from making it to the shoreline along with his friend, who was found alive on the shoreline Friday morning.

Friend taken to hospital

The friend, who hasn't been identified by RCMP, was airlifted to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

"You're dealing with cold temperatures in the water and the life jacket is generally top of your clothing," Blakney said.

"And then when you get thrown into the water in a panic situation, especially at nighttime, especially with the waves, trying to remove a life jacket to get rid of heavy clothing that's going to weigh you down and restrict you as it would have done him from swimming."

The official search for Tittemore ended Saturday, but members of a search and rescue group planned to continue looking for him Monday.