Wrestler died 'doing what he loved,' mom says

[VonErich Lives]

just felt this should be posted, rip.

http://www.newportdailynews.com/arti...news/news2.txt

Wrestler died 'doing what he loved,' mom says

By James J. Gillis/Daily News staff






PORTSMOUTH - The portrait people paint of John L. Coggeshall, 34, is that of a kind and generous guy whose passion was dressing in wrestling garb and transforming into an angry wrestler called Dr. Destruction.

"He would give you the shirt off his back," said his mother, Betty Jean Coggeshall of Portsmouth. "And if he didn't have a shirt, he'd give you whatever he had. The thing he cared about most was wrestling."

Coggeshall died at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence Sunday night, after he lost consciousness in the wrestling ring Saturday night at the Newport Elks Club on Pelham Street. The state medical examiner's office has yet to rule on the cause of death, though his mother said doctors told the family that Coggeshall died of cardiac arrest.

Police said Coggeshall died after another wrestler, Matthew Gilbert, 19, of East Providence, jumped from the ropes and onto Coggeshall. The two fell to the mat, where a third wrestler, Jeremy Kappler, 18, of Newport was lying, police said.

Coggeshall was unresponsive when police and a rescue crew from the Newport Fire Department arrived, police said.

Betty Jean Coggeshall said her son died doing what he loved most. "I never really worried," his mother said. "He'd been wrestling for so many years. It was an accident. You have accidents and injuries in every sport. This was something he loved so much. He died doing what he loved."

Coggeshall graduated from Portsmouth High School during the late 1980s, and worked at Stop & Shop in Middletown until he earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1992. At the time of his death, he worked as a computer programmer in the Stop & Shop corporate office in Quincy, Mass.

His down time, however, was spent perfecting the role of Dr. Destruction. Coggeshall and his buddies from Main Event Wrestling usually practiced moves three nights a week, holding matches on weekends, often for charity.

"They worked at it," his mother said of Coggeshall and his buddies. "They'd go over every move, night after night."

Betty Jean Coggeshall said John and his twin brother, Robert, his only sibling, caught the wrestling bug as teenagers, watching matches on TV and attending bouts at the Providence Civic Center. Robert, she said, lost interest after a few years.

In high school, Coggeshall - who stood about 5-11 and weighed about 225 pounds - was known as a quiet guy whose main skill had nothing to do with wrestling. He played trombone in the school marching band and stage band, winning awards.

Ray Ainsworth, who retired as a Portsmouth music teacher 11 years ago, saw the news accounts of Coggeshall's death and was unsure at first if it was his former student. Dr. Destruction bore no resemblance to the quiet kid who played trombone for Ainsworth years ago.

"I'd kind of lost track of him, as you do with some of your students," said Ainsworth, who lives in Fall River, Mass. "He played the trombone and he played well. He was our first trombone in the band. It's hard to find trombone players. I'm a trombonist myself, so I know. And he was good at it. This is very sad news to hear."

Manny Escobar of Middletown, who runs Main Event Wrestling, said Monday he was unsure if he will continue to stage wrestling matches, like the one that drew about 100 people to the Elks Club Saturday night. Coggeshall was a founding member of the group, which started in 1987 with kids wrestling in back yards.

"I just lost one of my best friends," Escobar said Monday. "He was a great guy and he'll be missed by everyone."

Betty Jean Coggeshall said she always urged her son to be careful before his matches. But she had no interest in seeing him grapple in person.

"No, no," she said. "You never wanted to see your own."

[KayfabeMan]

I read an article on that earlier today; sad to hear that. RIP

[Savio]

I would feel so bad if I was Jeremy.

[Rob]

Sad thing to hear

[HeartBreakMan2k]

Very sorry to hear.

Rob, didn't Ted Dibiase's father die during a match?

[Rob]

Yeah, Mike DiBiase suffered a heart attack in the ring.

[CANADIAN]

RIP thats really sad.

[Mr. JL]

R.I.P.

[spd10000]

I live in Rhode Island too. I never knew him, but it's still very sad.

[Draven]

R.I.P

[Hired Hitman]

*marks out for Portsmouth*

.. in all seriousness, Glad to hear he died doing something he liked.

[KayfabeMan]

What Hired Hitman said is true; it's definitely fitting for someone
to go out doing something that they love. Such was the case of
"Moondog" Larry Latham's death; at least it was in the ring,a place
where he had spent a great part of over 20 something years of
his life.

[Kane Knight]

[Corkscrewed]

It's a shame he didn't get to do more of what he loved, though. Still, at least he didn't die OD'ing on drugs or something like that. It's a sad story, and I wish the best for his family.