A young father tragically lost his life in a freak accident after going for a walk while trying to clear his head just before his mother’s funeral.
Jeffrey Norris, 38, had traveled from Byron Bay to the Gold Coast last week to organize his mother’s funeral, which was due to take place on Wednesday.
The morning of the ceremony, he went for a walk in search of peace, but tragically, he was fatally injured in a freak accident.
“I called him in the morning and he was fine,” teammate Brooke Stone explained. Then he went for a walk and slipped. It just fell because it was wet.
“It looks like a stick has gone through the main artery in his leg.
“He also had some head injuries, but we’re still waiting for the coroner to get back to us, but I’m pretty sure he would have died instantly,” she said.
Mrs Stone knew something was wrong when her partner never showed up at her beloved mother’s funeral.
‘He would never stop showing up. It didn’t make sense why he wasn’t there,” she said.
Jeffrey Norris (pictured left with his son Lucky and partner of six years Brooke Stone) had gone for a walk in an area he knew well on the morning of his mother’s funeral to “clear his head” but was accidentally killed.
‘He just never came back.
At the funeral, guests asked Mrs. Stone where Mr. Norris was, and as time passed with no sign of him, her concern grew.
“I thought, ‘This is not right. “I don’t know where it is, I can’t find it,” he said.
“We filed a missing persons report with the police and they ended up finding his body only on Saturday.”
The young family had moved from the Gold Coast to Byron Bay and were living a “beautiful life” (pictured, Lucky, 2, Mrs Stone and Mr Norris).
The former Coolangatta juice bar owner leaves behind his son Lucky, who recently turned two.
‘He loved us. “He would never have wanted to leave us,” she said.
Fighting back tears, Stone said his partner, who at one time was a surf coach and professional surfer, had been looking forward to riding waves with their son.
“His biggest dream was to turn Lucky into a surfer,” he said.
“That was going to be his passion with Lucky and he always used to say, ‘When Lucky gets here at six or five, you’ll never see us, we’re going to surf together.’
The young father was delighted when his son was born and he was able to teach him to surf (pictured Mr Norris and his two-year-old son Lucky).
The one-time professional surfer (pictured) was also a surf coach and couldn’t wait to hit the waves with his son.
Ms Stone said she is worried about how her son will cope with his loss when he is older, but will encourage surfing so Lucky can stay connected to his father.
“Jeffrey has some boards at home; I’ll save them for Lucky and one day we’ll make him proud,” he said.
Stone said the couple was close and had experienced tragedy early in their relationship.
“We lost our first baby together a few years ago,” she said.
‘We’ve been through a lot together. I never thought this would happen.
The young father (pictured right) was described as an understanding friend who seemed to know “everyone.”
Norris had traveled back to where he grew up on the Gold Coast to plan his mother’s funeral. The two were very close and on the morning of the funeral, Mr Norris went for a walk to “clear his head” (pictured Mr Norris with his beloved mother, Jenny Norris, 75).
“I’m definitely in shock, it just doesn’t seem real yet.”
“We had a beautiful life.”
Norris, who was the main breadwinner for his young family, was described by Mrs Stone as “weird”, “loving” and “genuine”.
“We pretty much haven’t been apart since we’ve been together,” he said.
‘Ask anyone who knew him, he was that guy who would do anything for anyone.
‘That’s what breaks my heart. He was just a weird guy.
“Anyone who needed someone in their life to support them, he would be that person.”
Norris was remembered as a friend loved by all and a happy soul.
“He had a lot of love to give,” Mrs. Stone said.
TO GoFundMe has been started to help Mrs Stone and two-year-old Lucky with living expenses, rent and possibly future relocation, as well as funeral expenses.