Women’s soccer player loses father to stroke
Mark Dafeldecker, father of women’s soccer student athlete Erin Dafeldecker, passed away Saturday.
“He was a friend, colleague, one of my best friends,” women’s soccer coach Logan Fleck said. Dafeldecker, a principal at Northwest Elementary School and a youth soccer coach, suffered a stroke on Friday night while at his daughter’s game at Marquette.
He was 49.
“I do know how much Mark loved Erin and his son, Colin, and he’s always going to be in their hearts,” Fleck said. “I’ve never seen two young people such as Erin and Colin face tragedy with such courage and maturity.”
On Sunday, with her mother Cheryl in the stands and Colin on the sidelines, Erin played against North Florida, winning 1-0 in a game dedicated to Mark.
“Erin thought it was something that her dad would want her to do, to go out and play soccer because that’s what would make him smile while he was looking down upon her,” Fleck said. “That was the decision she made that was best for her.”
Mark Dafeldecker is survived by his wife Cheryl, a principal at Canellas Elementary, his daughter Erin, 20, and 12-year-old son Colin.
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