Surfside Beach, Texas - A family father tragically died while saving his two sons from a fatal riptide on Surfside Beach in Texas on Saturday.

Josh Graham was with his wife Angela and their children at the beach when the accident unfolded offshore, Angela wrote on a GoFundMe page.

"On April 10th we lost the love of my life, my soul mate, the best father to my son and stepsons, a loving son and brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and dear friend to so many," Angela wrote on the page.

"He died a hero saving our two oldest boys from drowning in a riptide in Surfside Beach," she went on.

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Though grieving, the mother-of-three added she felt grateful for the "immeasurable love and sympathy" the family has received, also commending the strangers who jumped in and tried to save her beloved husband.

"I watched so helplessly my sons and husband struggle in the water, as I saw my boys come to safety and my love still out there, getting consumed by the riptide," she wrote.

"It feels as if this happened to someone else, like a horror movie, my worst nightmare," she wrote. "Perhaps that is why I am able to find the strength to write this. I am torn to pieces and my soul has been ripped from my body."

Mike Lampson and Rodney Sanders, two of the strangers who dove into the water to rescue Graham, told CBS affiliate KHOU they were battling the strong currents for 20 minutes before they eventually reached the unconscious family father.

Lampson recalled they were able to bring Graham back to safety with a surfboard, and started chest compressions. The rescuers eventually linked arms against the riptide to get Graham back to the shore.

"Josh is the hero," Sanders told KHOU. "He went out there. He paid the ultimate sacrifice. He gave his life for his kids."