Minnesota pastor dies after suffering severe spinal injury while on cruise to celebrate son’s wedding

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Minnesota pastor dies after suffering severe spinal injury while on cruise to celebrate son’s wedding

The pastor was found unresponsive in a swimming pool before being rushed to a hospital in Naples, Italy

Owen Scott Monday 14 September 2026 16:47 BST

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A Minnesota pastor has died after suffering a severe spinal injury while on a cruise celebrating his son’s wedding.

​Stephen “Steve” Junker, a 58-year-old father-of-five from Elbow Lake, fell and nearly drowned aboard the Sun Princess ship on August 16. He was found face down and unresponsive in the pool before being rushed to hospital in Naples, Italy, according to a GoFundMe campaign launched by his daughter, Elizabeth.

​Junker died weeks later at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, on September 4, after receiving treatment at the Naples hospital, according to his obituary.

​Elizabeth wrote that he died surrounded by family after his injuries were found not to be treatable.

​Junker, a former pharmacist who graduated from Creighton University, was described in his obituary as a “devoted husband” and “loving father to his five children.”

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​“Steve faced life, and death, with a quiet and unshakable faith, never afraid of what was to come,” the tribute reads. “Even in his final moments, his thoughts turned to the church and the people he loved.”

​In a statement given to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for Princess Cruises, which operates the Sun Princess, offered their condolences to Junker’s family.

​“We are deeply saddened by the passing of our guest and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones during this extraordinarily difficult time,” the statement read. “The guest was attended to by the ship’s medical team and subsequently transferred ashore for further care.”

Further details of his fall have not been disclosed.

​According to Elizabeth’s fundraiser, Junker was found to have suffered a severe compression of his spinal cord at the C3-C4 level of his neck – located near the jawline – by doctors at the Naples hospital.

​On August 17, a day after the injury, he underwent emergency surgery to stabilize the damaged area and relieve pressure on his spinal cord.

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​However, Elizabeth says that he was left unable to breathe on his own, requiring the assistance of a mechanical ventilator. He was sedated and intubated at the time.

​Junker was also being treated for a drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection around his lungs, which may have been caused by his near-drowning, with Elizabeth noting that he was critical but hemodynamically stable at the time.

Hemodynamically stable means that a patient’s blood pressure, heart rate and blood flow are at normal levels.

​Elizabeth also detailed her family’s struggle “navigating the Italian healthcare system,” suggesting that they have only received “scraps of information.”

​The family had tried to get him transferred to a hospital in the United States with the goal of making him “as comfortable as possible.”

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​Jeanine Junker, the late pastor’s wife, shared her own tribute to the father of five on the Chippewa Lutheran Church’s Facebook page.

​“Mourning the loss of a Pastor for our church family is very difficult to understand,” she wrote. “Pastor Steve was a wonderful person, loved by many, and had a great impact on many people through his faith.”

​Jeanine added, “Love to our community and church family. I am so thankful for all those who have shown so much love and support to our family.”

​The late pastor is survived by his wife, five children, his grandson, his parents and his sister.

The Independent has contacted Princess Cruises for comment.

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