Honours planned for student killed in North Dakota
Last Updated: Thursday, November 5, 2009 | 10:31 AM CT
CBC News
A bouquet of roses sits on the infield of a baseball diamond in Brandon on Wednesday in tribute to Ashley Neufeld. (Bert Savard/CBC)Plans are in the works to honour Ashley Neufeld, the Brandon woman who died in North Dakota earlier this week.
A softball diamond named in her honour and a scholarship are two ways people are planning to remember her, Neufeld's mother, Bev, told CBC News as she broke into sobs.
She said the tributes are fitting for a young woman who loved sports and would help anyone.
"She always had a smile on her face. She would do anything for anybody," Bev Nuefeld said about her daughter. "She always put anybody else ahead of herself. She was willing to help out, give a hand."
Ashley Neufeld (Dickinson State University)Bev Neufeld said she is grateful for all the kind words people have offered in the wake of the tragedy.
A service for friends and family is being planned for some time in the next few days, as is a public memorial.
Organizers are trying to find a hall large enough to accommodate the public service, which is expected to draw several hundred people who knew the popular girl.
Neufeld, 21, was one of three members of the women's softball team at Dickinson State University who died earlier this week when their sport utility vehicle ended up submerged in a pond not far from the North Dakota school.
The other two women — Kyrstin Gemar, 22, and Afton Williamson, 20 — were from California. The body of Neufeld's dog was also found in the vehicle.
Police believe Neufeld and her friends inadvertently drove into a farmer's pond during a stargazing trip. About 30 family members and teammates of the three women gathered Wednesday at the pond where they threw roses and softballs into the water.
The death of the gifted athlete, who also played hockey, has rocked Brandon, a city of 43,000 where Neufeld's family was well known.
Bev Neufeld, who was also a talented ball player and recently inducted into the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame, is in Dickinson, making arrangements to bring home her daughter's remains.
Friends and former teammates of Ashley Neufeld drew a heart in the infield dirt of a ball diamond in her hometown of Brandon on Wednesday. (Bert Savard/CBC)When word about the plans for the scholarship and ball diamond reached her in North Dakota, Bev Neufeld said she was deeply moved by the gesture and knows her daughter would be, too.
"Those two things will make her very, very happy," she said.
On Wednesday, friends and former teammates of Ashley Neufeld drew a heart in the infield dirt of a ball diamond in Brandon — a tribute to the young woman known for her determined play and infectious, positive attitude.
Others left flowers on second base, the position played by Neufeld.
Autopsies on Neufeld, Gemar and Williamson were conducted earlier this week but authorities do not expect results for a week or two.
The autopsies will help determine the exact cause of death and whether the women were under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Authorities have said there is no indication they were.
The North Dakota Highway Patrol is also examining the 1997 Jeep Cherokee to determine if the vehicle malfunctioned.
