‘Spirit of adventure’ defined life of woman killed while skydiving in Gimli, father says
The factor Gerrie du Toit will bear in mind most about his daughter Jean is her spirit of journey, he says.
The 53-year-old lady died whereas skydiving with three others close to Gimli, Man., on Saturday.
Her father, talking to CBC Information from Arizona, mentioned his daughter was religious, taking part commonly in meditation retreats in between working in Manitoba’s movie business and her adventures overseas.
“She’d go whitewater rafting and … snowboarding, and at one stage, she went to Mongolia to trip horses within the desert,” he mentioned.
“That is what saved her sane and saved her going.”
Jean du Toit was an skilled skydiver with greater than 100 jumps, and her father mentioned investigators informed him on the day she died, every little thing appeared regular.
“She was with different jumpers and so they jumped out of the aircraft, and her chute did open,” he mentioned.
“And I believe one thing like midway down, she began spiralling out. The chute simply folded and he or she plunged.”
Police have been known as to the Gimli Industrial Park round 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
When officers arrived, they discovered du Toit unresponsive on the bottom, receiving medical consideration from others who have been there.
An RCMP officer began to assist and paramedics arrived moments later, a police information launch mentioned.
Du Toit was pronounced lifeless on the scene.
Investigators decided she was carrying all the suitable security gear, and there have been no points with the plane, police mentioned.
Du Toit was born in South Africa and got here to Winnipeg for the primary time in 1987, on an alternate throughout her final 12 months of highschool. She finally moved right here completely.
Her father mentioned she did freelance work for a lot of Manitoba movie manufacturing corporations, which gave her time to journey.
Gerrie du Toit is making preparations to return to Winnipeg to settle his daughter’s affairs.
He remains to be in shock.
“Kids aren’t speculated to die earlier than their dad and mom, you realize?” he mentioned.
“I simply fulfill myself that she went doing what she liked greatest, and he or she’s in a greater place now.”
