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    GoFundMe set up for Kansas coach Knecht in boating accident

    Friends and family have established a GoFundMe.com page for Joe Knecht, wrestling coach and director of Kansas USA Wrestling District 1, who was seriously injured in a boating accident Labor Day weekend that later claimed the life of his wife Stephanie.

    Joe and Stephanie Knecht
    Individuals who wish to help coach Knecht with his medical bills and other needs may make a secure donation online at the designated website www.gofundme.com/knechtlovefund. In the twelve days since the account has been established, 310 individuals have donated approximately $28,500.

    Joe Knecht has been the head coach of the Paola Wrestling Club in Kansas since 2009. In addition, he is the director for District 1, which covers eastern Kansas from Topeka to Kansas City, from the northern border with Nebraska to the southern border with Oklahoma. In addition to his active involvement with wrestling, Knecht has described himself as an eCommerce Architect, and, in fact, had developed software solutions for managing amateur wrestling tournaments.

    Joe and Stephanie Knecht were among four individuals seriously injured in the boating accident on Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri on Labor Day Monday, Sept. 7. All four victims were flown to nearby hospitals; Stephanie died Wednesday, Sept. 9 at Research Medical Center, just days before her 38th birthday.

    According to Missouri State Highway Patrol, the boat ran aground and struck a tree. The driver of the boat, 41-year-old Ryan T. Johnson of Paola, Kan., was not injured. Johnson was arrested for boating while intoxicated and negligent operation of a watercraft.

    The Knechts were married Sept. 8, 2001, and had made their home in Paola. They became parents of a son Jaden and daughter Jordyn.

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