Heralded North Jersey Wrestler And Coach, 27, Succumbs To Cancer

OAK RIDGE, N.J. – Jared Platt battled on the mat and off, never giving in.

The accomplished wrestler and family man succumbed to cancer last Friday at the age of 27.

Platt lived in Randolph for many years and most recently lived in Oak Ridge. As an athlete, Platt was named captain of the 2007 Blair Academy wrestling team where he received All-American honors, multiple Prep National Championships, Junior National freestyle champion in 2007, and gold medals in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2007 Pan American Junior Championships.

After his days on the mat, Platt coached at the Buxton School of Wrestling, where he worked alongside his mentor, Jeff Buxton.

Off the mat Platt was a proud husband and father to his wife, Candace, and daughters CaiLee and Cara. He is survived by his wife and daughters, two brothers, parents John and Tracey, and many extended family members.

Platt was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer after a routine procedure to repair a herniated disk in September, 2015. That’s when doctors found a malignant tumor on his tailbone.

He died less than five months later at Morristown Medical Center on Jan. 22, 2016.

A celebration of Platt’s life will be held Thursday, Jan. 28 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the William J. Leber Funeral Home on Furnace Road in Chester. A memorial service will be held Friday, Jan. 29 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Buxton School of Wrestling on Middlebury Road in Randolph, with a Repast at the Skylands in Randolph following.

Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, st.jude.org, or American Diabetes Association, diabetes.org.