(See e-mail below)

--- Shawnee Fross <SHAWNEE897@...> wrote:

From: Shawnee Fross <SHAWNEE897@...>
Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2007 16:57:46 EDT
Subject: Vera Yuschak
To: David Ellis <AWEJUDO@...>

David, could you make this announcement at the SSG and on the web?

It saddens me to write this but I wanted to let the Judo community know of the
passing of Vera Yuschak, who was a honored member of Tsunamido and Hollywood
YMCA dojos. She was 83 years old. She passed from a heart attack, in a hospital
with her family close by her side.

Vera started Judo in the early 1960's in Pennsylvania under Dr. Ishikawa and Dr
Kowai. She was one of the first women to study at that dojo. She has been active
in Judo ever since, as well as in the gymnastics community. In her 70's she was
still taking falls and doing mat work and she used to challenge the young judoka
to keep up with her as she did cartwheels and headstands. She competed in
Ju-no-Kata in the 1997 Sr. Nationals and was the recipient of the Ted Zorsky
Memorial Kata Award in 2005. Vera was much loved and respected in our Judo
Circle and she will be sorely missed. We think she is saving a place for us on
the mat somewhere just beyond.

Godspeed Vera