Minnesota Pastor Stephen Junker Dies After Severe Spinal Injury Aboard Cruise During Son’s Wedding Trip

Stephen Junker, a 58-year-old pastor at Chippewa Lutheran Church in Brandon, Minnesota, has died after sustaining a catastrophic spinal cord injury aboard the Sun Princess cruise ship while attending his son’s wedding trip in Italy.

According to a family GoFundMe set up to cover medical expenses, Junker was found face down and unresponsive in the ship’s pool on Aug. 16 and was described as having "nearly drowned." The Italian Coast Guard transported him to a hospital in Naples, where he was placed in the intensive care unit and put on a ventilator.

Doctors determined he had suffered a severe compression of the spinal cord at the C3–C4 level. Emergency spinal surgery was performed the following day, and medical teams warned the family that if he survived he would likely be quadriplegic. While being treated, he also developed a multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in his lungs, which the family said was likely related to the drowning.

After initial treatment in Italy, Junker was transferred to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for further care. Despite efforts by medical teams in both countries, his family announced on Sept. 4 that he had died at age 58. "At 6:33 PM today, Steve went to be with Jesus. He was surrounded by his wife, children, parents, and friends," the family wrote on the GoFundMe page, adding that diagnostic testing revealed injuries that were not treatable.

The GoFundMe campaign, set with a $30,000 goal to help cover medical and related expenses, had raised nearly $35,000 by the time of publication. PEOPLE has reached out to a spokesperson for Princess Cruises for comment about the incident.

Life and Ministry

Junker began his professional life as a pharmacist after earning a degree from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. He later attended Lutheran Brethren Seminary in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, to train for the ministry and served as pastor at Chippewa Lutheran Church. He was remembered for his animated sermons, his love of conversation on many subjects, and his readiness to help others—often by producing the right tool or offering counsel from the well-stocked pockets he carried.

He is survived by his wife, children, grandson, parents, sister, and a wide circle of family and friends. A visitation was scheduled for 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 11, at Chippewa Lutheran Church, with a funeral service to follow at 11 a.m., according to his obituary.

Family Statement: "We're grateful to everyone at Mayo Clinic for their excellent care and to everyone who donated to help support Steve and the family. 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."