Post by Awesome Stick Labor on Dec 2, 2014 5:19:11 GMT
ST. LOUIS, Missouri -- Amidst the crises that have plagued Ferguson, MO in recent days, we at IWF.com are saddened to report the sudden passing of Hiroko Sawada, the wife and manager of current IWF Training Grounds member Jack Gaither, due to a car accident on Sunday, November 22nd. She was 33 years old.
According to the Associated Press along with several different sources, the accident happened shortly after the grand jury's decision on now-former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson was announced. Eyewitnesses told the AP that as a group of violent protesters were marching toward the St. Louis suburb, Sawada's rental 2015 Dodge Avenger swerved to avoid the oncoming mob, crashing head-on into a utility pole and bursting into flames. Sawada, a native of Nagara Village in Japan's Chiba Prefecture, was burned to death beyond recognition. According to hospital staff, it took several days to positively identify her remains through dental records. Her death was confirmed by IWF.com, the AP, and Fox News on November 25th.
Sawada's time in the wrestling industry spanned for nearly seven years, often accompanying husband Jack Gaither on tours and other public speaking events. Although she served primarily as a manager, Sawada competed in two critically acclaimed matches during her run in the defunct Premiere Wrestling Alliance promotion against two of its top names at the time, Captain Howdy and Trinity. Outside the ring, Sawada became a global ambassador whose worldwide campaigns in the fight against breast cancer earned her a spot on TIME Magazine as one of the "Most Influential People" of 2014.
We at IWF.com have not heard publicly from Jack Gaither since learning of Sawada's death this past Wednesday, but spokesman John Gillmen, a long-time friend of the couple--told us and the AP that Jack is 'currently debating" on whether or not to come to work on the December 8th installment of Monday Night Sacrifice. A public memorial service is scheduled for Friday, December 5th, at the Pepsi Sportatorium in Corpus Christi, Texas--a sports and entertainment venue privately owned and operated by both Gaither and Sawada. A private funeral will be held Saturday, December 6th at the Performing Arts Center followed by a sea burial on the shores of University Beach on the campus of Sawada's alma mater, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
Hiroko Sawada and Jack Gaither have been in a relationship since 2003 and eventually married in 2010. Preceded in death by her father Ryu Sawada (aged 55, brain aneurysm) and first daughter Emiko (aged five months; car accident), Hiroko Sawada is survived by her husband and fraternal twin children David and Megumi (aged 4).
According to the Associated Press along with several different sources, the accident happened shortly after the grand jury's decision on now-former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson was announced. Eyewitnesses told the AP that as a group of violent protesters were marching toward the St. Louis suburb, Sawada's rental 2015 Dodge Avenger swerved to avoid the oncoming mob, crashing head-on into a utility pole and bursting into flames. Sawada, a native of Nagara Village in Japan's Chiba Prefecture, was burned to death beyond recognition. According to hospital staff, it took several days to positively identify her remains through dental records. Her death was confirmed by IWF.com, the AP, and Fox News on November 25th.
Sawada's time in the wrestling industry spanned for nearly seven years, often accompanying husband Jack Gaither on tours and other public speaking events. Although she served primarily as a manager, Sawada competed in two critically acclaimed matches during her run in the defunct Premiere Wrestling Alliance promotion against two of its top names at the time, Captain Howdy and Trinity. Outside the ring, Sawada became a global ambassador whose worldwide campaigns in the fight against breast cancer earned her a spot on TIME Magazine as one of the "Most Influential People" of 2014.
We at IWF.com have not heard publicly from Jack Gaither since learning of Sawada's death this past Wednesday, but spokesman John Gillmen, a long-time friend of the couple--told us and the AP that Jack is 'currently debating" on whether or not to come to work on the December 8th installment of Monday Night Sacrifice. A public memorial service is scheduled for Friday, December 5th, at the Pepsi Sportatorium in Corpus Christi, Texas--a sports and entertainment venue privately owned and operated by both Gaither and Sawada. A private funeral will be held Saturday, December 6th at the Performing Arts Center followed by a sea burial on the shores of University Beach on the campus of Sawada's alma mater, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
Hiroko Sawada and Jack Gaither have been in a relationship since 2003 and eventually married in 2010. Preceded in death by her father Ryu Sawada (aged 55, brain aneurysm) and first daughter Emiko (aged five months; car accident), Hiroko Sawada is survived by her husband and fraternal twin children David and Megumi (aged 4).
Well howdy there pardner.