Obituaries

Passages: Joana Neves, Brazilian Paralympic Medalist, Age 37 Joana Neves, a Brazilian swimmer who won five medals over the last three Paralympic Games, died on March 18. She was 37 years old. Her passing was confirmed by SADEF RN, her club in Brazil. Neves, full name Joana Maria Jaciara da Silva Nev...

Passages: Hall of Fame Coach Maureen Sheehan, 65 Hall of Fame swimming coach Maureen Sheehan died on March 17. She was 65 years old. Sheehan was born and raised in Janesville, Wisconsin. She earned a swimming scholarship to Kansas University, where she was a team captain and a two-time AIAW All-Amer...

Passages: Judy McGowan, ISHOF Artistic Swimmer Inductee Judy McGowan, a long-time synchronized and artistic swimming competitor, coach and official, died on March 10. McGowan was a massive figure in American synchronized swimming for a half-century, including as Founding President of U.S. Synchroniz...

Passages: Giuseppe D’Altrui, Italian Water Polo Legend, 89 Giuseppe D’Altrui, one of the titans of Italian water polo, died on Feb. 26. He was 89 years old. D’Altrui captained Italy to the gold medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. He also played on the 1956 team that finished fourth and captained the...

Three University of Wyoming Swimmers Killed in Car Accident Three swimmers from the University of Wyoming were killed in a car accident in northern Colorado on Thursday. The athletes were involved in a single-vehicle accident on U.S. 287 in Larimore County, northwest of the city of Livermore. The ac...

Passages: Sonia O’Neal, Barbados Swimming Executive, Age 72 Sonia O’Neal, the former president of the Barbados Amateur Swimming Association, died on Feb. 16. She was 72 years old. O’Neal was a significant figure in Caribbean swimming, affectionately known by many as “Aunty Sonia” for the warmth with...

Passages: Michael Jennings, Channel Swimmer and Olympic Torch Bearer, 85 Michael Jennings, who swam the English Channel and whose open water exploits earned him a spot in the 2012 London Olympic torch relay, died on Jan. 15. He was 85 years old. Jennings hailed from Kent and was a member of the Chan...

Passages: Lance Larson, Former World-Record Holder Controversially Denied Olympic Gold, Dies at 83 Lance Larson, a former world-record holder in the 100 butterfly and 200 IM and the winner of two Olympic medals at the 1960 Games, passed away  January 19 at age 83. Larson was a longtime resident of S...

Christopher Chambers, Former Maryland and UMass Swimmer, Killed in Military Operation Christopher Chambers, a former swimmer at UMass and the University of Maryland, was one of two Navy SEALs declared dead after a mission off the coast of East Africa, the military confirmed on Tuesday. Chambers was ...

Passages: Richard Thornton, 1980 Olympian and Accomplished Coach, Dies at 65 A well-respected national-level swimmer and coach passed away Thursday. Richard Thornton was the head coach of San Ramon Valley Aquatics and a member of the U.S. Olympic team for the boycotted 1980 Games. Thornton's brother...

Each year the swimming community loses members in the circle of life. As a new generation of swimmers entered the world in 2023, we pay tribute to those the swimming world has lost in the past year. Dick Guyer, 77 Dick Guyer, a long-time coach at York Suburban High School in central Pennsylvania, di...

Passages: Dick Guyer, Longtime York Suburban (Pa.) Coach, 77 Dick Guyer, a long-time coach at York Suburban High School in central Pennsylvania, died on Oct. 23. He was 77 years old. Guyer spent 52 seasons with York Suburban over two stints, including 44 as the head coach. He retired for the first t...

The Indiana swimming and diving program is mourning following the death of Ken Nakasone this month. He was 82. Nakasone swam at IU from 1959-63, earning All-America distinction from each of his final three seasons. He swam the breaststroke leg of IU’s third-place 400-yard medley relay in 19...

Passages: Penn State Commit Marcus Papanikolaou Dies in Car Accident Marcus Papanikolaou, a high school senior at Central Bucks East in Pennsylvania and a sprinter committed to Penn State, died in a car accident on Oct. 13. He was 17 years old. Papanikolaou was killed in Northampton Township Friday ...

Australia’s Swimming Community Mourns The Passing of National Treasure And Coaching Pioneer Ursula Carlile The Australian swimming community is today mourning the loss of a legend and a National swimming treasure with the peaceful passing of coaching pioneer Ursula Carlile in Ryde today. Sh...

Passages: Bruce R. Johnson, New Jersey Swim Coach and Author Bruce R. Johnson, a swim coach, writer and author in New Jersey for nearly 50 years, died on Sept. 21 after lengthy illness. He was 77 years old. Johnson began writing while in the U.S. Navy reserves, where he spent two years on active dut...

PASSAGES: Australia Mourns The Passing Of "Mr Swimming" John Devitt, A Legend With Chlorine In His Veins The Australian swimming community is in mourning today following the passing of one if its greatest champions, two-time Olympic and three-time Commonwealth Games freestyle gold medallis...

Passages: Mary Moorman Ryan Caldwell, U.S. Record Holder, 98 Mary Moorman Ryan Caldwell, a U.S. record holder and Olympic hopeful in the 1940s, died on June 8. She was 98 years old. The native of Louisville swam at Lakeside Swim Club in her youth and was a national junior champion at age 11. She won...

Passages: Dave Allen, Founder and Long-time Coach of UNC Wilmington, 75 Dave Allen, who founded the UNC Wilmington swimming and diving program in the 1970s, died on June 21. He was 75 years old. Seen as the patriarch of UNCW swimming, Allen and athletics director William J. Brooks started the progra...

Passages: Olympian, NCAA Champion Virgil Luken Dies at 80 Former Minnesota national champion swimmer Virgil Luken passed away Saturday, June 10, at his home in Minnetonka, Minn. at the age of 80. A 2004 member of the M Club Hall of Fame, Luken became a national champion the first year he competed on...