An emotional Scott Tomlinson today paid tribute in front of more than 800 mourners to a son who was a "bundle of joy" and an "amazing" wife.
Mr Tomlinson said his wife fought to the end.
''Your strength and dedication was on show at all times, but exemplified at the very end with your fighting spirit and absolute dedication to you kids.''
He said she removed a gumboot in a final, desperate effort to free herself by trying to smash the tractor window.
''You bloody near did it girl.''
Near a single wooden coffin, sitting on top of hay bales under a marquee set up in the sunshine at Flaxes Retreat near Palmerston, Mr Tomlinson spoke through tears of his wife Nadine, who was pregnant with the couple's third child, and son Angus (3).
They died last weekend when the tractor they were in went into a reservoir on the family's Dunback-Morrison farm.
Angus, he said, had been born premature.
"He was too early into this world, and it was far too early for him to leave."
He described his son as a smiley, giggly, question-asking bundle of joy.
Mrs Tomlinson was a beautiful girl in every way, he said.
"And she was truly amazing. I was so fortunate to have her in my life."
The coffin, with a large bunch of white flowers on top, was carried by Mr Tomlinson and family members to the 11am ceremony from the back of a ute, parked on a hill a short distance from where the service was held.
A Givealittle page for Mr Tomlinson and his surviving son, 18-month-old Sam, has already raised over $65,000 since it was set up on Wednesday.
Nadine and Scott, who were both raised on a farm, met at Lincoln university where they both majored in agriculture.
The pair married at Tekapo four and a-half years ago and moved to Dunback-Morrison to start their "farming dream together''.
The Otago Daily Times was granted permission by Scott Tomlinson, via the funeral director, to attend the funeral.
