The wife and two children of a cruise ship passenger who died of coronavirus will miss his funeral because they too have the deadly disease.
Garry Kirstenfeldt, 68, was the ninth Australian to succumb to COVID-19 when he died in a Toowoomba, Queensland, hospital on Wednesday.
He was on board Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas, one of the notorious three cruise ships that docked in Sydney last week in a border security blunder that allowed hundreds of infected passengers to disembark.
Mr Kirstenfeldt will be laid to rest on April 3 but his wife Jennifer and daughters Lorna and Shakira will not be there as they also have coronavirus.
Garry Kirstenfeldt, 68, was the ninth Australian to succumb to COVID-19 when he died in a Toowoomba, Queensland, hospital on Wednesday
Mr Kirstenfeldt will be laid to rest on April 3 but his wife Jennifer (back centre) and daughters Lorna and Shakira (back left and right) will not be there as they also have coronavirus. His others children Orinda (front left) and Kevin (front right) will be
His eldest daughter Orinda and youngest son Kevin are in self-isolation, but will be able to attend as their 14 days ends the hours before the funeral.
Orinda said the family was heartbroken the beloved patriarch died alone while they were trapped in quarantine away from him.
‘We never expected his 17th cruise to be his last or no one to be at his side for the last moments of his life,’ she said.
‘This was the first time he had been in hospital and we were not at his side. He had been at death’s door multiple times before.
‘I would need both my hands and another to count all the times he gave us such frights but fought his way back to us.’
His daughter Orinda (pctured together) said the family was heartbroken the beloved patriarch died alone while they were trapped in quarantine away from him
His eldest daughter Orinda and youngest son Kevin (pictured together) are in self-isolation, but will be able to attend as their 14 days ends the hours before the funeral
Orinda said her dad was a travel lover who loved going on vacations, both up the coast of Queensland or overseas.
‘You’d always find him with a smile and family. He had been on 16 cruise ships and loved to relax with family or worry about activities to keep us entertained,’ she said.
‘His favourite would have been the one around Hawaii. He wanted to retire there, no matter how difficult it would have been.’
The devastated daughter paid tribute to Mr Kirstenfeldt who despite seriously underlying medical conditions, had ‘much more life in him’.
‘Our mother and my three siblings have so many beautiful memories and knew we had been very lucky,’ she said.
His daughter said Mr Kirstenfeldt was a travel lover who loved going on vacations, both up the coast of Queensland or overseas
The whole family took many holidays together including this one where they all sat together on a plane
‘Our dad always had time for each of us, playing games or dealing with our squabbles. He made an impression on all he met and considered his friends extended family.
‘Daddy was taken so suddenly from us too soon and still had so much to give.’
His widow Ms Kirstenfeldt also mourned him, promising the family would never forget him.
‘He will be terribly missed but forever in our hearts. He deserved so much more and to be celebrated,’ she said.
Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles offered his condolences on Wednesday in the wake of Mr Kirstenfeldt’s death.
His widow Ms Kirstenfeldt also mourned him, promising the family would never forget him
He was on board Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas, one of the notorious three cruise ships that that docked in Sydney last week
‘I want to extend my condolences to the family in Toowoomba who tonight are grieving their loved one,’ he said.
‘This will never get any easier; together we must do absolutely everything we can to stop the outbreak.’
Voyager of the Seas was one of four ships controversially allowed to unload thousands of passengers at Sydney Harbour last week
Thousands of passengers were let loose despite the government banning cruise arrivals for 30 days just the day before.
More than 100 coronavirus cases and several deaths have been linked to the ships so far.