A Minnesota pastor died weeks after he suffered a severe spinal cord injury while he was celebrating his son’s wedding on board a luxury cruise ship.
Stephen Junker, 58, was found face down and unresponsive when he fell into a pool on the Sun Princess vessel off the coast of Italy on August 11, according to a family GoFundMe page.
The Italian Coast Guard rushed Junker to a hospital in Naples, where he underwent emergency spinal surgery to “relieve the pressure on his spinal cord and stabilize the damaged area of his neck” on August 17, but the injury left him quadriplegic and unable to breathe without a ventilator.
Junker’s family flew him back to the US, where he was taken to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., on Aug. 23 for further treatment.
He died Sept. 4 surrounded by his loved ones.
“At 6:33 PM today, Steve went to be with Jesus. He was surrounded by his wife, children, parents, and friends,” his daughter Elizabeth wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Further diagnostic testing had revealed injuries that were not treatable.”
“We’re glad we were able to give him the opportunity to receive world-class care and reassured that everything that could possibly be done to help him was done,” she added.
Junker began his career as a pharmacist after graduating from Creighton University in Omaha, Neb.
He later attended Lutheran Brethren Seminary in Fergus Falls, Minn., where he earned a Master of Divinity and became an ordained minister.
For nearly 10 years, he served as pastor of Chippewa Lutheran Church in Brandon, Minn.
He was described as being known for his “animated sermons, his love of a good conversation on nearly any subject, and his readiness to help anyone in need,” according to his online obituary.
Junker met his wife, Jeanine, while attending Southwest State University in Marshall, Minn. They married Dec. 19, 1992, and later had five children.
Jeanine remembered her husband as a person who had made a lasting impact through his faith.
“Mourning the loss of a Pastor for our church family is very difficult to understand,” she wrote in a statement shared on the church’s Facebook page.
“Pastor Steve was a wonderful person, loved by many, and had a great impact on many people through his faith.”
“Nathaniel Junker has said it best when he sang his worship songs as Pastor Steve was welcomed into Heaven, ‘he closed his eyes to this life and opened his eyes to Jesus’ what more does anyone want!” she added.
Junker is survived by his wife, five children and their spouses, his grandson, his parents and his sister.
