A former college basketball player who worked as a morning news anchor in Wisconsin passed away unexpectedly on Saturday at the age of 27 in what appears to have been a suicide.
Anchor for the News of WAOW Her family and her coworkers were taken aback by her passing, and she was remembered for her infectious grin and her carefree attitude toward life.
Neena Pacholke, 9 WAOW’s cherished morning anchor, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, according to a statement released by the station. “Every single member of the staff here at News 9 is absolutely heartbroken by the loss, just as we are sure a great number of other people are as well.”
According to statements made by her older sister Kaitlynn Pacholke to the Tampa Bay Times, Pacholke, who was born and raised in Tampa and played college basketball for the University of South Florida, was engaged to be married at the time of her passing.
According to what Kaitlynn Pacholke said the first thing on Monday morning, “She was just like a little ball of light, and her smile was tremendous.” “By a wide margin, I believed that my sister was the happiest person I knew.”
One of Pacholke’s final tweets was a retweet of an article by Jon Gordon, which discussed the importance of maintaining a positive outlook and having faith that the best is yet to come.
“Because life is so simple, we find it hard to be optimistic. We remain optimistic despite the fact that life can be challenging,” Gordon stated in the tweet’s original version. “Extend grace to yourself as well as to others. Encourage people and speak words of life. Keep an eye out for the excellent in today. Keep in mind the reason why. Consider the possibility that the best is yet to come.
Both News 9 and Pacholke’s co-anchor have paid respect to Pacholke by mentioning his infectious grin and lively demeanor.
“She was a kind person with a large heart and a contagious grin, and we will miss her dearly,” the station stated in their statement. “We will miss her greatly.”
Pacholke was described by her co-anchor, Brendan Mackey, as “the brightest light in the room” with “the biggest smile and the funniest laugh.”
Mackey expressed his admiration for the recipient of the honor by writing on Facebook that “I have never met someone in my entire life that is more adored than this girl.” “Every single day, she made people happy, whether it was through the medium of a television screen or simply by being an outstanding friend. She was the picture of joy and vitality and a wonderful example to follow.
According to the information provided on her website, Pacholke began working at the news station in May 2017 as a multimedia journalist. She was then given the role of anchor in February 2019.
She received her degree from the University of South Florida, where she played point guard and earned letters all three years she was there.
According to Jose Fernandez, the head coach of the University of South Florida women’s basketball team, the program is “devastated” at Pacholke’s passing.
During this tremendously trying time, we are thinking of the Pacholke family and lifting them up in prayer. In a statement that was tweeted by Fernandez, she asked her followers to “please keep them in your thoughts.”
According to what Kaitlynn Pacholke remarked, it is impossible to fully understand what another person is going through.
“It doesn’t matter how well you believe you know someone; there are times when you just cannot know what someone else is going through… According to what she told the Tampa Bay Times, “my sister had access to every resource you could possibly conceive.” “She was cherished by each and every person. She was incredibly talented in her line of work.
Whether she had known someone for five minutes or for the rest of her life, Kaitlynn Pacholke’s younger sister has the gift of making others feel as though they were important and special to her.
She told the Florida newspaper that her sister “always put other people first” and “exuded love and positivity.” “She just cared so much about pouring into other people,” the woman said of her sister. “She just radiated love and positivity.” “I believe that she accomplished that despite the fact that she did not care about herself.”
If you are a resident of New York City and are having suicidal thoughts or are facing a crisis related to your mental health, you can call the crisis counseling hotline at 1-888-NYC-WELL to receive free and confidential assistance. If you live outside of the five boroughs, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit their website. The line is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
