It’s been a little over a decade since the Irwin family tragically lost husband and father Steve Irwin after he was fatally stung by a stingray in 2006. With the wildlife warrior never far from their minds, Steve’s wife Terri Irwin and children Bindi Irwin, 19, and Robert Irwin, 14, sweetly paid tribute to Steve on his birthday via social media on Thursday, Feb. 22.
Steve’s daughter Bindi took to Instagram to upload a throwback picture of her khaki-clad dad and his mom Lyn Irwin — who died in a car accident in 2000 — on what would have been a shared birthday for Steve and his mother. “Happy Birthday to my dad and grandmother,” she wrote. “I wish so much that I could give you birthday hugs. You are both in my heart today and I hope you are celebrating together.”
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Steve’s wife Terri also took to social media to share a special message to her late husband. Terri posted an image which recounted a story of Steve heroically halting filming of his show to personally aid the search for two missing scuba divers near where he and his crew were working. “Thinking of Steve today. He was so many things to so many people. He was definitely a hero. He was my hero,” she wrote.
The youngest Irwin, Robert, shared a heartfelt post for his dad too. Robert posted a smiley photo of himself and his father from when he was just a little blond-haired tot. “Thinking of my dad today. To so many people he was the Crocodile Hunter, but to me, he was the best dad in the world,” he wrote.
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Earlier this month, Bindi shared another tribute to her father after watching a clip of Steve being interviewed about his passion for nature that she had never seen before. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to describe the amount of emotion in my heart once the video ended,” Bindi wrote on Instagram. “My dad. My superhero. I promise to do my best to make you proud and ensure your legacy lives on forever.”
As well as paying tribute to her father, the nature warrior also announced that she and her family would be returning to Animal Planet for a new show. “A new chapter in our lives has begun as we embark on this journey with [Animal Planet],” she continued. “There is so much on the horizon. We can’t wait to share our story as a family #WildlifeWarriors.”
This post was written by Bettina Tyrrell It originally appeared on our sister site, Now to Love.
