A North Texas high school is mourning the loss of a beloved wrestling coach.
Aaron Stickler died Saturday after suffering sudden cardiac arrest about two weeks ago, according to his family and the Richardson Independent School District.
The 42-year-old was a teacher and the head wrestling coach at J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson.
Stickler leaves behind five children and his wife, Tiffany, who is also a teacher and coach at the same high school.
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He was in his first year as head wrestling coach, according to RISD.
Jarrett Lambert, the school’s athletic coordinator, said even when Stickler began to feel ill in early February, Stickler made sure to be there, encouraging and guiding his wrestlers before a big regional meet.
“It was important to him to be there to support our male and female wrestlers who qualified for the regional meet. He made a point to be there to coach his kids. That was important to him,” said Lambert. “He loves his kids and he set a great example for his kids. Visiting with our boys and girls the other morning and listening them talk about him. It just reiterated what he stood for.”
"Aaron was a kind, respectful, motivating, and talented educator, and a highly valued member of our PHS family. He will be fondly remembered and missed tremendously by our entire school community," a district statement read.
The district has a team of counselors on hand this week for any PHS students or staff in need of help processing the loss.
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"If you would like to share condolences or a memory of Mr. Stickler with his family that may help them through this very sad time, please email condolences@g.risd.org and our RISD counseling staff will pass messages along," the district said.
There is also a fundraiser for the family planned for Wednesday, March 1 from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. at Altitude Richardson on W. Campbell Road.
ONLINE: The family has set up a GoFundMe account to help with funeral costs, including returning Stickler to his home state of Minnesota. If you would like to contribute, click here.
