Gadola, 70, dies at UM game -
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Published on: 9/28/2003
Last Visited: 9/28/2003
"We're leaving the hospital, and there's a beautiful rainbow outside, which tells me my dad is in a better place right now," said John A. Gadola through his tears.
He and his brother, Miles Gadola, and other relatives and friends were among 100,000 fans at the Big House watching the Wolverines beat Indiana University when their father, 70, sitting in another section, collapsed during the first half.
He and others were called to the first-aid area, and Thomas Gadola was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
"He apparently had a massive heart attack and they were never able to resuscitate him," John Gadola said.
"He obviously didn't suffer, and he was at a place he loved the most, with his family, doing what he loved to do," he said.
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John N. Clothier, past president of the UM Club in Flint, said Gadola was a "very, very avid U of M fan."
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John Gadola said his father might have missed only one home game since 1953, the year he entered the university.
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"It was awesome, having a chance to work with him and see him every day," John Gadola said.
"He was so happy that I was a judge, and it was weird, but I still felt like a kid around him," he said.
Chief Probate Judge Allen J. Nelson said Gadola will be missed.
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Nelson, a Michigan State University fan, said Gadola recently joked that Nelson must be looking forward to the basketball season, a reference to the poor showing MSU has had recently in football.
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The funeral will be held in Grand Blanc, John Gadola said, but arrangements are not complete.
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ยป Gadola, 70, dies at UM game