Obituaries

Passages: Australian Olympian Brian Wilkinson, 88 Australian Olympian Brian Wilkinson died on April 27 in his native New South Wales. He was 88 years old. Wilkinson died after a short illness. Wilkinson represented Australia at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, part of a medal table-topping Aussie tea...

Dick Kimball, the legendary University of Michigan and Team USA Diving coach died at age 91. Wolverine Diving posted a tribute to the late coach on social media. "With saddened heart, we lost a diving great today, Dick Kimball. Our coaches at Wolverine Diving have so many fond memories of Kimball, a...

Passages: Steve Clark, 1964 Olympic Gold Medalist, Age 82 Steve Clark, a two-time Olympian and a three-time Olympic relay gold medalist for the United States, died on April 14. He was 82 years old. Clark was a rare two-time Olympian, qualifying for the U.S. team at both the 1960 and 1964 Olympics. H...

Brad Glenn Remembered for a Life in Service to Swimming Editor’s note: Swimming World welcomes tributes and memories from those who knew Brad Glenn. A memorial form link can be found throughout this article for readers who would like to share a message. Brad Glenn, a longtime swimming leader whose ....

Passages: Hannah Nelson, Member of U.S. Paraswimming National Team, 23 Hannah Nelson, who represented the United States at the 2023 World Para Swimming Championships, died on April 5. She was 23 years old. Nelson was a swimmer at Ave Maria University in Florida, which confirmed in a statement that s...

Passages: Two-time Canadian Olympic Medalist Nancy Garapick, 64 Two-time Olympic medalist Nancy Garapick of Canada died on April 7. She was 64 years old. Garapick died at her home in Langley, British Columbia, a Swimming Canada statement confirmed. Garapick was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. A produc...

Sir Craig Reedie, Former BOA Chairman & Key London 2012 Figure, Dies at 84 Sir Craig Reedie, who served as chair of the British Olympic Association for more than a decade and played a pivotal role in London being awarded the 2012 Games, has died at the age of 84. Reedie held several leadership posit...

Passages: Ray Benecki, FISH Founder and Coach of Kate Ziegler, Dies Ray Benecki, who founded FISH Swim Club in Northern Virginia in the early 1990s, died on Tuesday. The club announced his passing in a statement, citing the cause as a battle with cancer. Benecki founded FISH in McLean, Virginia in 1...

Passages: Carl Samuelson, Hall of Fame Coach at Williams College, 94 Carl Samuelson, a hall of fame coach who was a pillar of Williams College’s elite Division III program, passed away on Feb. 24. Samuelson was 94 years of age. The college confirmed his passage in a letter of commemoration to the co...

Passages: Carrie Heilman, Virginia Professor and Mother of Olympian, 54 Carrie Heilman, a long-time professor at the University of Virginia and the mom of UVA swimmers Thomas Heilman and Matthew Heilman, died on Thursday. She was 54 years old. Heilman served as the Faculty Athletics Representative t...

Southern Connecticut State Mourns Sudden Passing of Coach Tim Quill Southern Connecticut State on Wednesday announced the death of head coach Tim Quill. He was 58 years old. Quill spent 28 years leading the Owls men’s and women’s swim teams, turning them into significant players in the Northeast 10 ...

North Bay Aquatics Mourns Death of Coach Don Swartz North Bay Aquatics announced the passing of coach Don Swartz on Feb. 6. Swartz was 79 years old. Swartz passed away while on a family vacation in Costa Rica. The family confirmed the death to the club, which posted a note on its website last Friday...

Passages: Jerry Holtrey, ASCA Hall of Fame Coach, 86 Longtime Ohio high school swimming coach and ASCA Hall of Fame inductee Jerry Holtrey died on Dec. 23. He was 86 years old. Holtrey spent more than 45 years as the coach at Hawken School in Cleveland before retiring in 2014. He led the Hawks to 26...

The year 2025 saw several members of the swimming and aquatics community leave us. Here is a look at who we lost in 2025: Passages: Carol ‘Penny’ Taylor, Olympian and Long-Time Official and Coach, 96 Carol “Penny” Taylor, a 1948 Olympian and long-time coach and swimming official, died on Nov. 4. She...

Passages: Carol ‘Penny’ Taylor, Olympian and Long-Time Official and Coach, 96 Carol “Penny” Taylor, a 1948 Olympian and long-time coach and swimming official, died on Nov. 4. She was 96 years old. Taylor was an influential figure in swimming for decades after her Olympic appearance at the London Gam...

Passages: Lia Smith, Former Middlebury College Diver, 21 Lia Smith, a former diver at Middlebury College, died last week. She was 21 years old. Smith had competed in previous seasons as a diver for the Division III school, though she wasn’t actively listed on the team’s roster. She was last seen on ...

Passages: Charlie Raeburn, Coach of Olympic Champion David Wilkie, 80 Charlie Raeburn, who coached British Olympic champion David Wilkie, died on Sept. 25 at the age of 80. Raeburn was a physical education teacher and served as a board member of sportscotland, Scotland’s national agency for sport. H...

Passages: Emil LaSida, Case Western Reserve Record-Holder, 21 Emil LaSida, a junior swimmer at Case Western Reserve, died on Sept. 15 at the age of 21. LaSida last year set the school record in the men’s 50 freestyle, the first to break 20 seconds in program history with a time of 19.98 seconds at N...

Passages: John Brucato, Long-Time Bellarmine Coach, Age 63 John Brucato, the founding and long-time coach of Bellarmine University, died on June 24. He was 63 years old. Brucato was the first coach of the men’s and women’s swimming program, serving as the head coach from 2012 to his retirement in 20...

Passages: Joan Harrison, South African Olympic Gold Medalist, 89 Joan Harrison, who won the women’s 100-meter backstroke at the 1952 Olympics for South Africa, has died on May 20 at age 89. Harrison made history in Helsinki by winning the first South African gold medal in the 100 back. It held as th...