Bayside father, husband and youth coach suddenly dies of bacterial infection, devastated family looking to support his 3 girls
BAYSIDE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A family is left shocked and recovering from the sudden loss of a Bayside father, husband and youth soccer coach, according to his sister.
Nate Gruber died from a bacterial infection on Tuesday. He leaves behind his wife and high school sweetheart, Angela, and their three daughters: ages 5, 8 and 11.
Nate Gruber with his family
“He just loved so intensely. His girls and Angela were his world,” Monica Gruber, Nate Gruber’s sister told CBS 58 on Sunday, June 7. “It’s a strange feeling, to tell you the truth, because we’re a very private family. All of this has been very outside our realm of comfort.”
Monica Gruber said what began as sudden ankle pain on Saturday morning quickly escalated into a catastrophic medical crisis for her brother.
“Friday night he went to sleep, and in the morning, he had intense pain in his right ankle. He thought he messed it up in a kickball game the night before,” Monica Gruber said.
Despite emergency surgeries, an amputation, the illness progressed too rapidly to overcome. Monica Gruber lives in Spain and quickly got on a flight to Wisconsin once things took a turn for the worse.
“I was in Spain, so I was woken up in the middle of the night by my husband, saying, ‘Angela’s calling,’ which immediately made me think the worst,” Monica Gruber said. “There were so many questions and he went so fast.”
Monica Gruber said her brother was always completely present for the people and passions that mattered most. That was especially proven while coaching youth sports through the Bavarian Soccer Club.
“We went to a scrimmage for his team. A mom who I have never met before came up to me and said ‘You know, my daughter isn’t the best on the team maybe, but Coach Nate never let her feel that. He encouraged her. Thank you for that, he made a difference in my daughter’s life and she was crushed.’ That alone just was the most touching thing for me because I can see how he touched so many lives,” Monica Gruber said.
Monica Gruber said her family is now focused on supporting the wife and three daughters Nate left behind.
“He’s going to have this beautiful legacy that he deserves,” Monica Gruber said. “We are all on board for making the best decisions for our girls. We will go to the ends of the earth for them.”
A GoFundMe for the Gruber family has already raised over $150K.
Nate Gruber with his family