A North Newton woman whose body was found Monday morning following a skydiving accident near Cushing, Okla., is remembered as being bright and full of talent and potential.



Ken Rodgers, Hesston College music faculty member, recalled Sheralynn Neff, 26, as being �one of the kindest people you could ever hope to meet,� according to an article mourning her death on the school�s website.



Neff was a high-achieving student who served as a ministry assistant during her time at Hesston College and participated in choir and concert band.



She graduated as valedictorian from Newton High School and attended the Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to pursue peace and conflict transformation studies.



She was also a National Merit Finalist and participated in Scholar�s Bowl and National Honor Society, according to The Newton Kansan.



Lincoln County Sheriff Charlie Dougherty said Neff jumped from an airplane around 4 p.m. Sunday. Her parachute was found in a tree shortly afterward, but without her.



That�s when the sheriff�s office was called and a search team of about 80 people, by both ground and air, was created. It grew to more than 100 on Monday morning.



The team found Neff�s body just after 8 a.m. Monday, about five-and-a-half miles from where the parachute was located.



Dougherty said Neff had successfully dived with the Cushing skydiving school four times on Saturday and once on Sunday.



Neff was in her second jump Sunday when she jumped out of the airplane at 10,000 feet, free-fell for about 6,000 feet, and then opened her parachute. She fell about half a mile when investigators say she completely came out of her harness.



When the search party found Neff, she had no harness gear on.



�Not sure how that happened,� Dougherty said, noting around four people jumped before Neff did.



While the skydiving school is out of Dougherty�s jurisdiction, he said he�s been told the school has had a couple of incidents in the past five years where people have died while skydiving.



Dougherty said he�s not sure if that is why the Federal Aviation Administration has been called to investigate. They were at the scene Monday.



Her body has been sent to the state�s medical examiner in Oklahoma City to determine her cause of death.



Family members were able to identify her body although she sustained injuries from the trauma.



The skydiving school is working closely with the sheriff�s office, he said.