A beloved Australian father who died unexpectedly just 18 months after his wedding is being mourned by his new wife and their three young children.
Jake Mumberson, from Gledswood Hills in Sydney’s south-west, died on November 1 after suffering a heart attack, just 11 days before his 32nd birthday.
He and his wife Cassie, 29, had just married 18 months earlier when he became father to her two sons, Zak and Nix, from a previous relationship.
“They called him Dad,” Ms Mumberson told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday. The couple also shares a two-year-old daughter, Willow.
Mr Mumberson, who ran his own fencing and landscaping business, was in hospital last week due to an unrelated condition.
“Two hours after he got there he collapsed and went into cardiac arrest,” Ms Mumberson said. “It just came completely out of the blue.”
Tragically, Jake had previously had his heart checked after his mother died of a heart attack three years ago, but “everything came back normal.”
Mrs Mumberson said it was ‘terrible’ to have to break the news to their children.
Jake and Cassie Mumberson are pictured with her two sons from a previous marriage, Nix and Zak, and their two-year-old daughter Willow before his tragic death
Mr Mumberson, from Gledswood Hills in Sydney’s south-west, died in hospital on November 1 after a heart attack – just 11 days before his 32nd birthday.
“Jake’s grandmother also passed away last year and the children loved her so much,” Mrs Mumberson said.
“So we just kind of told them he’s in heaven now with her and his mommy. That’s how we told them.’
She said the younger children don’t really understand that their father is gone.
‘Not my daughter, she’s two. My six-year-old son understands it, but at the same time he doesn’t. But my nine year old does. He certainly does.’
Mrs Mumberson said she is still coming to terms with her husband’s death.
‘I am still in great shock. I’m on a rollercoaster of emotions. “I’m sad and then I cry and then I’m happy and then I don’t know anymore, it’s just in the joint,” she said.
Due to the sudden loss, Mrs Mumberson has not yet made plans for a funeral.
To help the family during a time of incredible stress, family friend Millie Jadrijevic has created a GoFundMe.
“Jake was unexpectedly and wrongfully separated from his beloved wife Cass, Zak and Nix, whom he treated with all his heart as his own wife, and from his beautiful daughter Willow,” Ms. Jadrievic wrote.
“Their journey and next chapter of life was abruptly cut short.”
Mr Mumberson is described as a ‘devoted young husband, father, son and brother’
The father-of-three is pictured with his beloved daughter Willow at Christmas 2023
Mrs Mumberson said her children don’t really understand that he is gone (family are pictured)
Ms Jadrijevic said Mr Mumberson was a “devoted young husband, father, son, brother and dear friend”.
“As Cass struggles with the task of building a future without Jake by her side, life feels daunting and uncertain,” she wrote.
Mrs Jadrijevic said her friend must now ‘come to terms with the loss of her husband while striving to provide the very best for her three beautiful children’.
“Every donation makes a difference in supporting Cass on this path to healing, giving her the time she needs to get back on her feet,” she added.
“Fly high, Jake. Watch over Cass and your precious children.”