Wisconsin: WAOW anchor Neena Pacholke, 27, suffered tragedy years before suicide. Read more to know details

Neena Pacholke, news anchor for ABC television affiliate WAOW in Wausau, Wisconsin reportedly committed suicide. She experienced a sad loss when her high school sweetheart passed away in 2016 from a rare kind of brain cancer.

Family, friends, and co-workers remembered the late WAOW anchor for her infectious smile and bright personality. She died on Saturday.

Neena Pacholke had lost Jordan Harris, who was in her first serious relationship when she was only 18 years old. Neena was all set to get married in less than two months.


Shortly before the two, Neena and Jordan, were supposed to begin their freshman year. Harris, who had been diagnosed with primitive neuroectodermal tumours in 2011, passed away after different battles with the disease.

In an interview published by Moffitt Cancer Center in the year 2016, Neena talked about losing her first love. She said that she remembers sitting there with him and holding his hand the moment he took his last breath. She had said that she had told him that she would be there with him throughout the entire ordeal.



In biology class during their first year of high school, Pacholke and Harris first became friends before starting a relationship.

In a blog post titled 'Kids Get Cancer Too,' Pacholke also discussed her boyfriend and her aspirations for increased funding for cancer.

After earning three lettered seasons as a point guard at the University of South Florida, Pacholke graduated in 2017 and began working for News 9 as a reporter.

She was later promoted to the post of anchor in February 2019.

The team was totally devastated, according to Pacholke's old coach, over the young journalist's unexpected passing. When Pacholke passed away, she was less than two months away from getting married. The date of the wedding, October 12, is listed on Neena Pacholke and Kyle Haase's online registration.