Cancer survivor, music teacher and grandpa of six IDd as victims of skydiving plane crash that killed 12
A beloved music teacher, a grandfather of six and a cancer survivor have been identified as three of the 12 victims killed in a fiery skydiving plane crash in Missouri on Sunday.Eleven skydivers and their pilot died after the private aircraft made a sudden turn midair near Business 49 Highway and plummeted into a field around 11:30 a.m.local time.The flight, which departed Butler Memorial Airport, was operating for Skydive Kansas City when it crashed into a fireball.
Avid skydiver and teacher Dave Hershberger was among those killed in the crash.He taught orchestra at Oak Park High School and at Antioch Middle School in the North Kansas City School District, the Kansas City Star reported.
The longtime educator, who lived in Gladstone, was also a member of the Kansas City Wind Symphony, according to KMBC.The principals of both schools sent a joint email to families on Monday, describing Hershberger as “not only a passionate educator and talented musician, but one of the kindest humans,” according to the statement obtained by The Star.Grandfather Mike Shanahan, 54, was en route to complete his 23rd tandem jump when Sunday’s disaster unfolded, according to a GoFundMe.Shanahan, a member of the Kansas City Sheet Metal Union Local #2, was remembered in the fundraiser as the best “papa” to six kids, a “humble human,” and a “very dedicated native to the city.”He planned to skydive on Aug.
11 in California to raise money for breast cancer research in honor of his late sister, Nikki, whose fight with the disease inspired him to get into the sport, his mother, Gloria, told the Kansas City Star.Expert skydiver and parachutist Jen Sharp was also slated to conduct a coach evaluation jump on Sunday’s flight, friends told KMBC.Sharp served as the Director of Technology for the United States Parachute Association, the organization said in a press release.
“Jen was a remarkable force whose passion for the skies was matched only by her dedication to the peopl...