COURTESY PHOTO
Family members say Margaret Jean Thomas, shown with her 17-month-old son, Kaden, was a loving, caring mother.
When 18-year-old Margaret Thomas told her mother excitedly that she wanted to sky dive during her Hawaii vacation, her mother warned against it. Woman killed sky diving
saw her isle trip as a thrillShe was looking forward to the jump
given to her as a giftBy Mary Vorsino
mvorsino@starbulletin.com"Maggie, if something goes wrong, who will take care of (Thomas' 17-month-old son) Kaden?" Marilyn Thomas said she asked her daughter.
"Nothing will go wrong, Mom," was Margaret's reply.
But Margaret Thomas, of Papillion, Neb., died Sunday afternoon, along with her instructor, Greg Hunter, when their parachute failed to open during a tandem jump.
Schofield Barracks soldier and avid sky diver Justin Thomas, Margaret's oldest brother, had given his sister the jump for a Christmas and early birthday present.
Family and friends say Margaret Thomas had been ecstatic about coming to Hawaii to sky dive since September 2001, when her brother was first stationed here.
Justin Thomas, now with family in Nebraska, said yesterday he didn't have a chance to hug his sister one last time before she died.
"She seemed to look up to the things me and my brother did," he said. "She trusted what I said. I told her it was going to be great."
Justin Thomas, who had raved to his sister about sky diving for years, watched from the ground as the two fell to their deaths from 9,000 feet and landed in the back yard of a Mokuleia residence.
"I wanted to die. That was my first thought" when he realized his sister was one of the two victims whose parachute did not deploy, he said. "I was too afraid to face what was ahead of me. It was larger than life."
The Federal Aviation Administration has yet to determine why the parachute did not deploy.
Family and friends remembered Thomas, a nursing student at St. Mary's College in Omaha, Neb., as a loving, caring mother who overcame with a smile the obstacles life threw her.
"She had a very bubbly personality. But it was more than that, deeper than that," said her mother. "She was an incredibly caring individual. She had a huge network of friends ... (who) knew they could go to her with any problem."
Thomas gave birth to her child during her senior year at Papillion-La Vista High School in Papillion. She graduated from the high school over a year ago.
When her parents found out Thomas was pregnant, they suggested she put her baby up for adoption, said Marilyn Thomas. "(But) she was determined to go through with the pregnancy. The statistics were not in her favor. She proved us wrong every step of the way."
Justin Thomas said he is wary of returning to Hawaii after services for his sister on Friday and predicts that to be able to finish his stint here over the next two years he will have to "face my fears" and return to the airfield where he last saw his sister alive. He has promised his wife to never sky dive again but said he still trusts the sport.
The vision of his sister and her instructor plunging to the ground haunts him and he expects it will be a long while before he can "look at the sky without seeing those images in my head."
Thomas' son Kaden, who last touched his mother minutes before she died, when she kissed him before boarding the Cessna to sky dive, does not yet know of his mother's death, said Marilyn Thomas. The toddler will grow up with his paternal grandparents.
Drop Zone owners Ken and Cynthia Anderson opened their business yesterday for the first time since the deaths. They declined comment but may speak publicly about the tragedy at a memorial service for Hunter at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow at Drop Zone. Later that afternoon, Hunter's friends will form a "living lei" as they sky dive in a circle to commemorate Hunter's life.
Hunter's ashes will be scattered over two of Hunter's greatest loves, Dillingham Airfield and the ocean.
Scott Hunter of Idaho, Greg Hunter's brother, will attend the services but could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Besides her mother, brother Justin and son, Margaret Thomas is survived by her father, Doug Thomas Sr. of Corpus Christi, Texas; brothers Brandon of Corpus Christi, and Doug Sr., Jeff and Jack, all of Portage, Ind.; and a sister, Kimberly Thomas of Portage.
United States Parachute Association
Drop Zone
The Federal Aviation Administration
Honolulu Police Department
