QUEENS — A Rego Park school mourns the loss of a beloved gym teacher who passed away last week after an unfortunate accident.
Josh Abrams, 39, a well-liked girls' gym teacher at J.H.S. 157 Stephen Halsey, died last Friday.
“It was a great loss for all of us — as a teacher, as a friend, as a mentor for our kids,” said Vincent Suraci, principal of the school. “The way it happened was just a horrific tragedy.”
Abrams, who had worked at the school for 6 years, slipped while walking down a flight of stairs at home and suffered a traumatic brain injury, the school said.
According to a GoFundMe page set up by his family, Abrams, of Bayville, Long Island, “left behind his loving wife Jessica, son Axel and another baby to be born May 2016.”
The page, created to raise money for his children's education, already gathered more than $44,000 as of Wednesday afternoon.
“Josh was a man who defined 'living life to the fullest,'" his family wrote on the site. “His infectious laugh and charismatic personality brought a smile to everyone's face.”
Suraci said the students were devastated to hear the news, and “wanted to do something kind and caring for Mr. Abrams and his family.”
The kids signed cards and wrote letters to the family. They also suggested naming the girls’ gym after their late teacher.
“I said that was a wonderful idea and that we would put a student committee together to work on that,” Suraci said.
Students also took to Twitter to express their grief.
"R.I.P Mr.Abrams 😭😭 he was the best gym teacher💘" wrote a student who goes by the name Zakav on Twitter.
A student who goes by the name Natalia wrote, "My gym teacher just passed away he made gym worth going for the 3 years of junior high love you Abrams."
Knowing that Abrams was an avid Mets fan, students and their parents came up with the Twitter hashtag #LetsWinItForJosh.
Please RT in memory & honor of Halsey JHS 157's beloved girls gym teacher Josh Abrams. #LetsWinItForJosh #LGM @Mets pic.twitter.com/EdllV28BVH
— Kitti★ (@itskitti) October 18, 2015
