Obituary: Myrna Soekasah

Obituary: Myrna Soekasah

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's sports community lost a highly
dedicated role model when Myrna Hardjolukita Soekasah passed away
Saturday at 9.15 a.m. at the Dharmais Cancer Hospital due to
breast cancer.

Myrna, formerly a platform diver, had suffered the illness
since 1996. After being treated in Rotterdam for several months,
she was taken to the hospital on Monday.

Wahyu Myrnawati was born in Jakarta on Sept. 8 1953. She
served as the deputy secretary general of the National Sports
Council (KONI) and the official in charge of organizational
structure of the Indonesian Swimming Federation (PRSI).

She won the 1977 Southeast Asian Games gold medal in Kuala
Lumpur, the 1970 Asian Games bronze medal in Bangkok and she
reached the final in the 1973 Universiade in Moscow and competed
in the 1972 Olympics in Muenchen, Germany.

KONI vice chairman Arie Sudewo, who attended the service,
said: "We lost a great role model in sports. She was very
concerned with sports development in the country. Even when I
visited her at the hospital, she still remembered to ask about
the progress of KONI's Olympic Games training program."

Myrna's husband, Rahim Soekasah, said the time of his wife's
death was exactly the same as their first daughter's birth time.
Besides her husband, Myrna is survived by two daughters, Indira
Kartiza Putri and Insana Kartiza Putri.

As Myrna's body was buried at the Tanah Kusir cemetery in
South Jakarta, Indira was still in on her way from the United
States where she is studying. (yan)