Stratford community mourns beloved school professional after sudden death

Jessica Rudat-Klassen was holding her son when she suddenly collapsed and died. CTV’s Karis Mapp has more on what she meant to the community.

Friends and family of Jessica Rudat-Klassen are still coming to terms with the 42-year-old’s death.

“Jess had a sudden passing. She didn’t suffer in any way, which we were all really happy about, so we’re thankful for that,” said Rudat-Klassen’s longtime best friend Chrissy Newton.

The mother of three was swimming with her son on Canada Day. When they got out of the water, she collapsed while still holding him.

“I couldn’t believe it. To be honest, I think we were all in shock,” Newton recalled.

“It’s horrible when anybody passes, but especially at this young, leaving three kids behind and a husband.”

Rudat-Klassen’s children are all under the age of seven. She had also been with her husband, Adam, since they were 18 years old.

“It’s a massive loss in all of our lives and especially Adam. Adam only knows Jess, that’s all he knows. Jess is his whole world,” she explained.

The loss is also greatly felt by the staff and students she worked with at Anne Hathaway Public School.

She was a special needs professional who had spent a lot of time this past year with a 9-year-old boy with autism.

“That student was largely non-verbal and had great difficulties managing his school day,” explained Stefan Schneider, the school’s principal.

“Jessica helped support him to where he was able to start communicating his needs and his wants, and really navigate his school day without any behavioral issues.”

The boy’s family was contacted after Rudat-Klassen passed away and Schneider said mental health supports are being planned for when students return back to class in September.

“That’s going to trigger another wave of emotion. Not having her there, not having her be part of the team,” he said.

Those same emotions are currently overwhelming some members of the Stratford community.

“Jess played baseball. She was also, I believe, the president of her local daycare. She did so much for everybody,” Newton said.

Remembering Ru

Friends and family of Rudat-Klassen, who often called her Ru, said they’ll miss her sense of humour and her ability to light up any room she entered.

Newton and Rudat-Klassen first became friends in the Grade 1 when they were in the same class at Plattsville Elementary School.

“In the middle of story time, Jess puts up her hand and says, ‘Is it play time yet?’ I remember looking at her and thinking, ‘I need to be your friend.’ We’ve been friends ever since,” Newton told CTV News.

Stories like that are being shared on a commemorative Facebook group. It also doubles as a place for photos to be shared for her kids to enjoy one day.

“As we get older, we’ll be explaining the memory of Jess and who she was to them and using those images in that Facebook group will really help us do that,” Newton said.

A GoFundMe campaign has been created to help support her husband and children while they adapt to their new reality.

“Not only was she an excellent staff member, she really was a wonderful human being,” Schneider said.