Dauphin Mayor Eric Irwin died while snorkelling, daughter says

Mayor Eric Irwin was snorkelling in Key West, Fla., when he died suddenly on Friday, his daughter says.

Erica Irwin was with her father, as well as her mother and aunt, at the time.

She had no further information about what exactly happened but said thefamily hopes to be back in Canada by Tuesday, when they can start planning the funeral.

It will be a while longer, however, before Irwin's body arrives home.

Florida law requires any sudden death tobe reviewed by the medical examiner's office. However, they do not work on weekends, so the examination won't begin until this week, Erica Irwin said.

"We are currently working with the insurance company to get him home, which may take between four to six days, if not longer," she said. "Everyone is working hard to get all of us home."

The funeral will be open to the public and held in Dauphin. The time and location will be announced when it has been determined.

People looking for information can visit a memorial pagethat will be updated with all of thosedetails once they are set, Erica said.

"We will also publish an obituary in all of the newspapers, again, once we know when he will be home," she said.

Irwin hadbeen mayor of the city of roughly 8,400 people, 250 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg,since2010.

He was first elected to city council in 1998, the same year he became president of Dauphin's Countryfest. The festival is now the longest-running country music festival in Canada.

Irwin's death has been a shock, saidAllenDowhan, the city's deputy mayor.

It's really a heartbreaking day for everyone involved. I still can't even wrap my head around it. It's like a bad dream right now.- RobWaloschuk

"I'm beginning [to accept] the reality of the death and the big void he's left in the community," Dowhan said, adding he doesn't know many of the details about Irwin's death.

"All I know is they were in Florida snorkelling and something happened. That's the extent of my knowledge of the circumstances."

Dowhanhassaid city council will meet with Manitoba's department of municipal relationssoon to figure out their next step.The flags at city hall have been lowered to half-mast.

"It's really a heartbreaking day for everyone involved," said Rob Waloschuk, the producer for Countryfest. "I still can't even wrap my head around it.It's like a bad dream right now."

He called Irwin a visionary and echoedDowhan'scomment about the chasm that hisdeath has left in the community.

"He was the mayor. He was the president of the Co-op. He was on Rotary. He had a successful law firm, which, by the way, was the only thing that actually paid him," Waloschuk said.

"Everything else that Eric ever did, it was all volunteer. He was going constantly, 24/7, and I often asked him, 'How do you do it. Why do you do it?'

"He just truly had a love of everything that he did. Every organization he was a part of, it was because he wanted to make things better. I would hope that everybody picks up the torch and carries it on for him."