Retired merchant navy captain died on trip of a lifetime The former captain in the Merchant Navy had been feeling breathless for days before his visit to the popular tourist spot, which lies around 8,000ft above sea level. On the morning of July 29 they were waiting with a tour group for a bus to take them the short distance to the Unesco World Heritage site when Mr Mortimer collapsed. He suffered a heart attack, which the family believe was caused by his reaction to the extreme altitude. His daughter Kathryn, 23, said the whole group had been affected by altitude sickness during the trip but her father's symptoms were more acute. Mrs Mortimer described her husband as the "kindest, most generous, fun-loving man." You only had to be in his company for five minutes - he put everyone at ease. He really was the life and soul of the party," she said. We had the most amazing marriage. I am so lucky to have him in my life. Whilst struggling to cope with her bereavement Mrs Mortimer was left stranded in Peru for more than a week because both of their passports had accidentally gone through the hotel laundry. She was turned away from the first flight she had booked to get her home and had to find emergency documents to replace her ruined passport. Mrs Mortimer then spent hours queuing in Peruvian immigration before she could finally get back to the Britain on August 6. The teacher has thanked the travelling companions on her trip who supported her and daughter Kathryn, who managed to organise her flights. She said: "We were an organised tour and six young people in the same group cancelled the rest of their holidays to wait for me in Peru so that I wouldn't be alone." Mr Mortimer, who had two sons Jason, 45, and Daniel, 43, from a previous marriage, and a daughter Kathryn, 23, with Marian, had been in the Merchant Navy all his working life. Originally from Hull, East Yorks., he joined at 16 and rose to be captain, before leaving and becoming a sea pilot in the Humber estuary and eventually retiring in 2011. Since then the couple had travelled the world visiting Indochina, China, Australia and much of North America. A committal service was held in Scarborough, East Yorks., last Friday.