When Samantha Rokov learnt her husband Antonio had died trying to save a teenage boy during a freak skydiving accident, she was not the least bit surprised by his selflessness.
She says the NSW skydiving instructor, who will on Thursday be awarded a Star of Courage for his bravery during the 2015 incident, had always put others before himself.
"We all just went 'of course he would've'," Ms Rokov told AAP.
"That's Tony. That's what he would do. He would make that sacrifice."
Mr Rokov was on a tandem skydive with a then 14-year-old boy near Goulburn Airport in NSW on November 21, 2015 when a freak gust of wind folded their parachute in half just 20 metres from landing.
The boy was flipped horizontally as they plummeted towards the ground, but Mr Rokov twisted his body underneath him, taking the full force of the impact.
The boy was injured but survived the fall, while Mr Rokov - who had grown to love skydiving during a career in the army - died of his injuries.
Ms Rokov said she took some comfort in knowing her husband's death had not been senseless, but allowed a young man to live the long life ahead of him.
She said she has been in regular contact with the boy's mother and been pleased to hear he is "doing really well".
"It makes a tragedy just seem a little bit easier to deal with, because it's something so positive," Ms Rokov said.
Mr Rokov is one of two Australians awarded the Star of Courage bravery decoration on Thursday, along with Lindt cafe siege victim Tori Johnson.
Ms Rokov said the recognition would help her son, who was particularly young at the time of the accident, to understand what his Dad had done.
"(He'll) be able to go, my Dad's been remembered for his bravery," she said.
"We miss him every single day. It's just really hard, with his parents especially and his family, and our family as well.
"But I'm just so proud of him. So proud of him. Right to the very end."
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