LYN IRWIN

Co-founded the wildlife park that became Australia Zoo and devoted herself to wildlife rehabilitation — taking in the injured and orphaned animals nobody else would. She raised her children among the crocodiles and snakes, turning a small roadside reptile park into a family mission, and it was her compassion for wildlife that Steve carried into everything he did. Her sudden passing in 2000 only deepened the family's resolve to protect the animals she loved.