Summarized by Kent Larsen
Montclair mourns death of missionary
Northern VA Journal 25Jan99
By Courtney Prebich: Journal Staff Writer
Elder Joshua Prymak, who died Monday, January 18th when a wave knocked him
into rocks and swept him out to sea, had wiggled out of life-or-death
situations before. However, this time Prymak's body was recovered three days
later, and his family thinks he must have died instantly, when the wave
slammed his body into the rocks.
Prymak, 19, had been serving int he Spain Las Palmas Mission for eight
months, when he went sightseeing with a number of other missionaries. A
second wave following the wave that knocked Prymak into the water, knocked
two other missionaries into the water. One, Elder Papenfuss, also perished.
Prymak's mother, Nancy Prymak Pratt of Montclair, Virginia, said that her
son was a strong swimmer and a member of the neighborhood swim team. He had
attended BYU for a year under a scholarship and majored in manufacturing
engineering. He was a straight-A student at Hylton High School, president of
the National Honor Society and a star wrestler.
"He died happy," she said. "He absolutely was happy. He loved what he was
doing. He loved his mission."
The article contains a number of tributes from Elder Prymak's friends and
teachers. Funeral arrangements are pending the release of Elder Prymak's
body from Spanish Authorities.
|