‘Most incredible man’
tobi.loftus@thechronicle.com.au
TOOWOOMBA man Garry Kirstenfeldt has been remembered by his family as an incredible man who touched all of their lives.
Daughter Jennifer Kirstenfeldt today set up a GoFundMe page for her father, who died on Wednesday after contracting COVID-19 on the Voyager of the Seas cruise ship.
“Our father was a man with much more life in him,” Ms Kirstenfeldt said.
“Garry Kirstenfeldt was the most incredible man in all our lives. Our mother and my three siblings have so many beautiful memories and knew we had been very lucky.
“Our dad always had time for each of us, playing games or dealing with our squabble. He made an impression on all he met and considered his friends extended family.”
Ms Kirstenfeldt said her father loved going on vacations, both at home on the coast and overseas.
“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 had wanted to retire there, no matter how difficult it would have been.
“We never expected his 17th cruise (Voyager of the Seas) to be his last, or no one to be at his side for the last moments of his life.”
Ms Kirstenfeldt said her mother was now planning Garry’s funeral, a funeral her mum couldn’t attend because she was in isolation.
“It’s been a struggle for our mother as she now needs to plan a funeral she won’t be able to attend physically, but we need to celebrate the amazing man he was,” she said.
To donate visit https://bit.ly/3bvtG1e.