Neena Pacholke

A Wisconsin morning news anchor and former college basketball player died suddenly Saturday at age 27 in an apparent suicide.

She was so happy and so full of life and a role model.” “I think she did that at the expense of not caring about herself.” “She was just like a little ball of sunshine, and her smile was massive,” Kaitlynn Pacholke said Monday morning. She was so good at her job.” We are positive because life can be hard,” Gordon wrote in the original tweet. “The entire team here at News 9 are absolutely devastated by the loss as we know so many others are as well.”

WAUSAU - WAOW-TV announced Sunday that morning anchor Neena Pacholke died suddenly on Saturday. The station's announcement said that its team was ...

I know she loved her job and loved every one of her viewers." She grew up in Tampa, Florida, and graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in broadcast journalism. She became a co-anchor for the station's morning show, "Wake Up Wisconsin," in 2019. As her sister, I have read every single one and I love to see everyone she impacted. One viewer described Pacholke as "a joy to wake up to every day." Another described her as "a ray of sunshine."

Pacholke played high school basketball at Freedom then signed with head coach Jose Fernandez and the Bulls prior to the 2013 season.

She announced her engagement via Instagram on July 28. Our thoughts are with Neena’s family. Check on your friends and family. When they arrived, they said they received no answer at the door. [#USF]I had a class with Neena. “..Officers were dispatched to a home in Wausau on Saturday morning for a welfare check.

Former basketball player and news anchor Neena Pacholke died on Aug. 27. Read her sister's heartbreaking Instagram tribute.

But for now, I know she's not in pain anymore and I am thankful for that." "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you. The 27-year-old had [worked](https://www.waow.com/news/morning-anchor-neena-pacholke-has-passed-away/article_3b936132-2700-11ed-886c-038d9a3f3f01.html) as a morning anchor at News 9 in Wisconsin. "Wausau Police Department Officers were dispatched to a home on Wausau's southeast side Saturday morning to check the welfare of a woman who reportedly made suicidal statements," he said. Police haven't confirmed a cause of death and no additional details were given. Kaitlynn continued, "On Saturday, August 27th my world came crashing down in a way I never imagined possible.

Her family has confirmed that Neena Pacholke died by suicide.

Pacholke was a former point guard for the University of South Florida women's basketball team. "Neena loved this community and the people who lived here," the station wrote. [joined News 9 in May 2017](https://www.waow.com/contact/meet-the-team/neena-pacholke/article_c8241a71-94c4-5414-b94f-8915cf0cd192.html) as a multimedia journalist, and was named the co-anchor of Wake Up Wisconsin in February 2019.

Neena Pacholke, a television news anchor for ABC television affiliate WAOW in Wausau, Wisconsin, died last Saturday at age 27.

"I think she did that at the expense of not caring about herself." Speak life and encourage others," [the post read](https://twitter.com/JonGordon11/status/1560231679209398272). "Let's remember Neena Pacholke for the beautiful person she was. The biggest smile and the funniest laugh," he added. "Neena loved this community and the people who lived here," the station added. Her professional website shares that she joined WAOW as a multimedia reporter in 2017 and started working as an anchor in 2019.

A Wausau, Wisconsin morning TV news anchor described by her sister as being like a "little ball of sunshine" passed away suddenly on Saturday, her employer ...

She was a kind person with a big heart and a contagious smile and we will miss her greatly." "Getting to start thousands of people's days each weekday morning in central Wisconsin is a privilege and something I don't take lightly," she said. "She was just like a little ball of sunshine, and her smile was massive," Pacholke said to the newspaper. "And she could just make you feel like you were the most important person, whether she knew you for five minutes or her whole life. [women’s basketball player](https://www.foxnews.com/category/sports/ncaa-bk), was engaged at the time of her death, the Tampa Bay Times reported, citing her sister. [Wisconsin TV news station](https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/us-regions/midwest/wisconsin) says it is "absolutely devastated" after one of its morning anchors – who was described as having a "big heart and a contagious smile" – passed away suddenly over the weekend.

A news anchor in Wisconsin has died from an apparent suicide. Neena Pacholke, former college basketball player, was 27. The news of her death has rattled ...

She was so good at her job.” “She was just like a little ball of sunshine, and her smile was massive,” Kaitlynn Pacholke said Monday morning. ... We would be out at coffee and someone would recognize her, and she would lighten them up the way she’s made me feel the last 27 years,” she added. “The entire team here at News 9 are absolutely devastated by the loss as we know so many others are as well.” Pacholke was raised in Tampa, Fla., and played college basketball for the University of South Florida. The news of her death has rattled family and colleagues.