Two years after his death , a remarkable twist of fate has meant a loving Navy father 's message has finally reached his 10-year-old son . Joseph Torrez passed away two years ago , aged 41 , after succumbing to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease , an incurable neurological disorder . The rapidly-progressing terminal illness eats away at the brain - causing dementia , memory loss , anxiety and psychosis - and affects motor skills and physical movements . Rowan Torrez , now 10 , received the postcard ( pictured ) in the mail at the weekend , almost exactly two years after his father 's death . Rowan and his father Joseph play together when he was a toddler . The young boy was his father 's pride and joy , his mother Julie Van Stone said . Rowan ( pictured ) said he remembers his father as a 'very good person ' Prior to the onset of the deadly disease , he moved away from his son Rowan , 10 , to Boston , to gain two Masters degrees at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , 9News reported . And while studying or travelling home , he sent countless postcards to his only son reminding him how much he missed him . Now , just days away from the two-year anniversary of his death , his son Rowan has received an incredible gift in the mail . It was a postcard , dated June 10 , 2007 , which read : 'Hello from Pennsylvania . I love you , and I miss you so much . See you soon . Love , Daddy . ' It was a touching moment for Rowan , who remembers his father as a 'very good person ' and a good father and , as he told the broadcaster , a fitting final goodbye .
Navy father Joseph Rowan died from a rare kidney disease at the age of seven . Before due to the disease , he moved to Boston to gain a Masters . While away from baseball , he sent postcards to his young son jack . Now , eight years after his death , a final postcard has arrived in the mail .