The death of a River Falls pastor brings renewed attention to the hazards people face while working outdoors.

Besides his church and his family, Paul Schmeling’s his number one passion in life was working in his backyard garden. But on Memorial Day, Schmeling, 56, never regained consciousness after falling from a ladder while attempting to cut off low hanging tree limbs.

He and his wife, Beth, had been married for 33 years.

"I have to think that this was my husband's time. And the Lord chose this mechanism to take him straight to heaven," she told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.

She says Schmeling, the pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in River Falls, was working in the garden to get ready for his daughter’s wedding reception at their home in two weeks.

"We made it to the hospital in time for me to still feel his hands being warm. It was the hardest day of my life, but I'm glad I have this closure," Beth Schmeling said.

According to police, Schmeling was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.

According to Hennepin County Medical Center, falls from ladders account for more than 17,000 brain injuries a year nationwide.

On Tuesday, the Minneapolis hospital will host a public awareness campaign to remind Minnesotans about the dangers of yard work.