Minnesota Pastor Dies After Spinal Injury Aboard Sun Princess

Minnesota pastor Stephen Junker, 58, died Sept. 4 after suffering a severe spinal cord injury in a pool aboard the Sun Princess off Italy in August. Junker, who was traveling for his son’s onboard wedding, was found face down and unresponsive before the Italian Coast Guard transported him to a hospital in Naples, according to a family fundraising page.

The injury left Junker quadriplegic and dependent on a ventilator. His family later arranged his return to Minnesota for further treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

Emergency treatment in Italy and Minnesota

Junker underwent emergency spinal surgery in Naples on Aug. 17. The operation was intended to reduce pressure on his spinal cord and stabilize the injured area of his neck.

He arrived at Mayo Clinic on Aug. 23. Junker died surrounded by family and friends, his daughter Elizabeth wrote in an update to the fundraising page.

“Further diagnostic testing had revealed injuries that were not treatable,” she wrote. “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.”

Church remembers longtime pastor

Junker began his professional career as a pharmacist after graduating from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. He later earned a Master of Divinity from Lutheran Brethren Seminary in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and became an ordained minister.

He served for nearly a decade as pastor of Chippewa Lutheran Church in Brandon, Minnesota. His obituary recalled his animated sermons, wide-ranging conversations and willingness to help others.

“Pastor Steve was a wonderful person, loved by many, and had a great impact on many people through his faith,” his wife, Jeanine Junker, said in a statement shared by the church.

Junker and his wife married in 1992 and had five children. He is also survived by their spouses, a grandson, his parents and his sister.