Photo provided by Susan Van Hooser

James Katajwa, former Park soccer player.

The Park University community is mourning the loss of a former soccer star. James Katajwa, 26, was killed in a rollover accident Sept. 5 in Johnson County, Ks.

Katajwa graduated from Park University in 2009 with a degree in business administration. A memorial service was held on campus Sept. 11, to honor the men’s soccer player. Many friends and family members attended the event.

Shane Vanhooser, whose family hosted Katajwa, met the player through Efrem Shimlis, Park University head soccer coach. Katajwa was also Vanhooser’s club coach.

“James was awesome,” Vanhooser said. “He would come to some of our practices to help out as well.”

For Vanhooser, Katajwa was much more than a friend – he was a role model.

“James taught me the most important trick there is and it is to be the best person I could be at all times,” Vanhooser said. “He did so much for everyone in my eyes he was the perfect player. The hardest of workers and got the job done in class.”

Katajwa also shined on and off the field.

“On the field he was like a jaguar and a ninja,” Vanhooswer said. “(He was) very fast and good at what he did. He was also very disciplined. He never got angry at the ref or complained.

The Vanhooser family first met James while their eldest son, Shane Vanhooswer, was helping on the sidelines of one of the games as a ball boy. When they heard that James spend his holidays alone or with friends, the Vanhoosers opened their arms to the young man welcoming him into their family

“The first time we sat down and talked to James we were at Applebee’s and he was so shy and so quiet,” said Susan Vanhooser. “James sat right across the table and we were talking and I don’t think he really knew what to expect. During the holidays I always wondered what he was thinking, like what is this crazy American family doing. The first time he came to our house was during Thanksgiving at our house.”

The Vanhoosers have fond memories of Katajwa.

“At Christmas we went to my moms and we always did stockings then it is always a separate day from Christmas day, usually after New Years,” Susan Vanhooser said. “The first time we gave him a stocking and we said this is for you and it has his name on it and everything  he is just looking at us like what am I suppose to do with this big red thing? We were like it has presents its for you and he said ‘oh yes’ and he was just like a little kid. He was big eyed while opening up.”

Christmas and Thanksgiving weren’t the only holidays James spent with the Vanhoosers.

“It was fun to watch him carve pumpkins during Halloween,” Susan Vanhooser said. “The first time he reached in he was like ‘ewww’ but he sat there and so intent in making perfect jack-o-lantern we make big deals out of little things around his birthday.”

Katajwa received a very special treat from his host family, one in which showed their love and composition for this young man.

“It was his birthday around the end October and also senior night and he talked about his brother Ken who lived in Denver,” said Susan Vanhooser. “He hadn’t seen him in several years and they had never met on American soil. So we came up with this story that my cousin was in town from South Carolina and that we had to get her from the airport.”

“We told him we were going to take him out to eat for his birthday then go pick her up and you know how KCI is with the glass gate and he was standing next to me. His brother missed the flight and caught the next one we kept making up stories and we could tell he was getting antsy. He kept looking at me and looking at the people walking then looking at me. I finally looked at me with this inquisitive face and said that looks like my brother. I said ‘surprise – it is him’.”

If you are interested in donating funds in honor of Katajwa to help with costs for his family, checks can be mailed to Platte Valley Bank, 8401 NW Tom Watson Boulevard, Parkville, Mo., 64152, or you can donate online at http://www.youngcaring.com/memorial-fundraiser/help-james-katajwa-and-his-family-in-uganda-memorial-fund/87215.