Steven Weber.Photo: Facebook
Debra Weber, whose son Steven Weber Jr. died just after popping the question to girlfriend Kenesha Antoine while on vacation, recalled in a heartbreaking Facebook post the moment she learned the news that would change her life forever.
Debra continued, writing that she was still awaiting the return of 40-year-old Steven’s body from Tanzania, but that the moment would be coming soon.
In the days after Steven’s death, aGoFundMepage was organized to help cover the costs of his return and burial, and has since raised more than $20,000.
Meanwhile, Steven’s sister Mandy Hoffman also recounted the day of his death, calling it “the worst day of my life.”
“However, what I have experienced since that day is the most amazing outpouring of love and support from old and new friends, acquaintances, relatives near and far, and complete strangers,” she wrote on Facebook Tuesday. “I will do my best to personally thank you all. In the meantime, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Steven deserves all the honor and love he is receiving. He gave so much of his own ❤️❤️.”
Weber’s death first made headlines on Friday after Antoine shared a heartbreaking Facebook post that included a video of Weber’s sweet proposal — which involved him swimming up to their underwater hotel room with his question written on a piece of paper — and her acceptance.
“You never emerged from those depths, so you never got to hear my answer, ‘Yes! Yes! A million times, yes, I will marry you!!’ ” she wrote. We never got to embrace and celebrate the beginning of the rest of our loves together, as the best day of our lives turned into the worst, in the cruelest twist of fate imaginable.”
Hoffman previously toldKSLAand theAssociated Pressthat Weber and Antoine had been dating for two years after meeting through a mutual friend, and were in Tanzania as part of a birthday trip for Antoine.
She also said that her family was grappling with manyquestions surrounding the circumstancesof Steven’s death, as he was a strong swimmer who had snorkeled before.
“This is all we keep talking about,” she told the AP. “Something other happened besides him running out of breath.”
Hoffman said authorities in Tanzania informed her via email that an autopsy had been conducted, but did not immediately identify a cause of death.
A State Department official confirmed the death of a U.S. citizen in Tanzania to PEOPLE, but declined further comment.
Spokespersons for the Manta Resort, where Weber was staying, and the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania did not immediately return PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
Steven Weber.Facebook
Antoine had flagged down the would-be rescuers after Weber failed to surface at the deck level of their hotel room shortly after his proposal.
Neither Antoine nor Hoffman immediately responded to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
Matthew Saus, CEO of the Manta Resort, previously confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement that a male guest had drowned while free diving alone outside the underwater room.
Saus said the weather and water conditions were calm, and that the room sits about 32 feet deep.
source: people.com
