Obituaries

University of Michigan swimmer, and former Michigan high school state champion, Ian Miskelley died unexpectedly on Monday. He was 19. "The University of Michigan swimming and diving program is deeply saddened to report that men's swimmer Ian Miskelley passed away on Monday," Michigan swimming releas...

18-year-old high school senior Jakob Mumper out of Bloomington North High School in Indiana was shot and killed in an apparent murder-suicide by his father, 61-year-old Jeff Mumper, according to a report from WTHR in Indianapolis. Police believe that early Sunday inside the family’s home, the 61-yea...

Andy Burke, a long-time administrator for water polo who served on numerous U.S. and international committees, passed away last Friday at the age of 91. For his efforts on behalf of American water polo, in 2018 Burke was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) for his substanti...

Scott Allen Sherwood, 48, of East Lansing, Michigan, passed away on August 3, 2020, at Waipahu, Hawaii. He was born February 19, 1972, in Lansing, Michigan. He served and worked at the Hawaii Swim Club, Oahu, coaching kids to the Olympics and National level, earning multiple collegiate scholarships...

Barry Watson, who held the record for the fastest English Channel crossing from 1964 to 1977, died this week at age 81. A native of Crossflatts, West Yorkshire, Watson swam the channel in 1964 at age 26. His time of nine hours, 35 minutes to cover the 21 miles from England to France held for nearly ...

Charles "Charlie" Arnold, former head coach of the James Madison University men's swimming and diving program, died on Monday, Aug. 10, in nearby Penn Laird. He was 93. The school announced his death on Tuesday. Arnold joined JMU Athletics in the fall of 1973, becoming the first head coach for the m...

Passages: Sholto's Fierce Fighting Spirit Lives On As McKeown Sisters Honour Their Late Father No matter where Australia’s swimming sister act, Taylor and Kaylee McKeown swim next they will carry with them the inspiration and fighting spirit of their greatest fan – their Dad, Sholto who sadly lost h...

Jean Hurring (nee Stewart), who won bronze in the women’s 100 backstroke at the 1952 Olympics and competed at the 1956 Games, died Sunday in her native New Zealand. She was 89 years old. Hurring, competed then under her maiden name Jean Stewart, won bronze in the 100 back in Helsinki, finishing behi...

Legendary swim coach Gennadi Touretski passed away on Friday at his home in Switzerland, according to a report from the Russian Swimming Newsletter. Touretski was 71 and suffered a fatal stroke. [caption id="attachment_443202" align="alignleft" width="259"] Photo Courtesy: Darrin Braybrook / Swimmin...

Mimi Jones, an activist who was appeared in an infamous 1964 photograph that played a key role in the Civil Rights Movement, died this week at age 73. As a teenager who grew up in Georgia, Jones took part in various demonstrations as part of the Civil Rights Movement, including the 1963 March on Was...

Kieth Pike, who’s served as a swimming official in Southern California for more than half a century, died on July 19. Pike started officiating high school meets in 1962 and continued until 2017, a 56-season tenure. The Westminster, Calif., resident worked CIF Southern Section swimming championships,...

Benny Liang was always in involved in swimming. He was a college swimmer, later a coach — even an intern at Swimming World. Liang was an intern at Swimming World in 2017, writing several articles for this publication. Most recently a part-time swimming coach at Carmel Swim Club, Liang ...

Dan Flannery, the longtime Ames High School swimming coach, died on Tuesday, the school district announced. “Dan was Ames High Pride. He loved our students, our high school, and our community. This is a huge loss for not only our school community, but the swimming community in Ames and across Iowa,”...

Kerry Croswhite, Chandler High School swim coach in Arizona, died on Tuesday after complications from COVID-19 at age 61, AZCentral.com reported. His wife, Laurie Croswhite, confirmed it in an online journal post, which she has been updating since Kerry Croswhite was admitted to the hospital earlier...

Jaylon Nixon, a rising sophomore diver at Southern Connecticut State University, was killed in a car accident Sunday. He was 18 years old. Nixon was involved in a two-car accident in his hometown of Meriden, Conn., around 4 a.m. Sunday. He was ejected from his vehicle as it rolled over, and Nixon wa...

Gyorgy Karpati, a four-time Olympic medalist and three-time gold medalist, died Wednesday at age 84. The death was announced by the Association of Immortal Hungarian Athletes. No cause of death was listed. Karpati won gold medals for Hungary in 1952, 1956 and 1964. He also won a bronze medal at the ...

Morgan J. Burke, a captain of the Purdue swim team in the 1970s who became his alma mater’s athletic director for nearly three decades, died Monday. Burke was 68 years old. He was diagnosed with amyloidosis a year ago. Burke served as the athletic director from 1993-2016. He retired from the positio...

Masters hall of fame diver Tom Hairabidean passed away on Sunday at the age of 96. He was inducted into the International Masters Swimming Hall of Fame in 2007 with five World Championships gold medals to his name. Tom Hairabidean - Hall of Fame Diver [caption id="attachment_434930" align="aligncent...

Masters Hall of Fame Swimmer Frank Piemme passed away on Wednesday, May 27, 2020 at age 95. He was inducted in the International Masters Swimming Hall of Fame in 2004. Below is his bio from when he was inducted. [caption id="attachment_433665" align="alignleft" width="350"] Frank Piemme. Photo Court...

Don Varner, a dedicated YMCA swimming official died at age 91. Varner of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was a fixture on the pool deck of the YMCA Swimming National Championships for many years. Scores of western Pennsylvania swimmers, a legion of coaches and all of his fellow YMCA officials will recall ...