Father-son fishing trip to Oregon beauty spot to celebrate boy's 11th birthday ends in heartbreaking tragedy

A father and son's birthday fishing trip ended in a heartbreaking tragedy after their boat capsized and the two were lost at sea. 

Constantin Leahu, 43, and Andrei Leahu, 11, went on a fishing trip on Saturday for the boy's birthday near Astoria, Oregon, when their boat capsized and the two went missing, according to Fox 8 Live. 

It was Andrei's first fishing trip, and his godmother, Irina Negrean, told the outlet he had 'wished to go with him [Constantin] for a long time.' 

'This was his dream come true, to be out on a fishing boat with his dad,' she told Fox 8. 

The Leahus and three others were fishing on the boat when it capsized near where the Columbia River and Pacific Ocean meet, a rough patch of sea, according to The Columbian. 

Rescue teams were sent out in search of Constantin and Andrei, but they couldn't find the pair. The father and son were nowhere to be found, and the search was called off at nightfall. 

'I don’t think we have a lot of hope to find them alive at this point,' Negrean said. 'So, we’re trying to figure out the next steps.'

The Coast Guard managed to pull the other three out of the ocean. One of the victims died on the way to the hospital, the outlet reported. 

Andrei - who went on the trip a day after his birthday - still has his cake in the fridge at home, according to Negrean.

'it is just a monumental loss, it’s an unbelievable loss,' the family friend said. 

Constantin was the sole provider for the family of seven. He leaves behind a wife, Elena Venera, and four daughters, Anamaria, Daria, Elizabeth and Melanie. 

Andrei was their second oldest.  

'He was the kind of man that if you asked him something, he would move heaven and earth to make that happen,' Negrean told The Columbian. 

The little boy is remembered as being sweet and loving and a little mischievous. 

The family was very involved in their church, the Saint Mary's Romanian Orthodox Church, which has set up a GoFundMe for the family. 

'Their loss and grief are insurmountable. We are collecting funds to help secure the family’s immediate and future needs, medical bills, and other expenses,' the fundraiser, which has raised $77,545 toward its $250,000 goal, said. 

'Constantin’s sense of humor, selfless nature, and unwavering faith in the goodness of God make him one of the most generous, loving, and wholehearted friends any of us will ever know,' Florentin Agoston, who started the fundraiser, said. 

'Deeply committed to his faith, always willing to go above and beyond for anyone, a loving father and husband, he leaves behind not only a heartbroken family but an entire community that will never recover from such a loss.' 

The church remembers the boy as 'bright, funny, and a social butterfly.' 

'Andrei was beloved anywhere he went,' Agoston wrote. 'Losing Andrei at such a tender age has left us all shocked, heart-stricken, and devastated.'