A final journey home for a woman who spent much of her life in the skies.

The body of longtime Southwest Airlines flight attendant Jenny Lupton returned to Oklahoma on Thursday, weeks after the 50-year-old mother died under circumstances that her family says still leave troubling unanswered questions.

Lupton, of Moore, Oklahoma, died on August 20 while in Waikīkī, Hawaii, during a work layover. As her body arrived home, family members, friends and Southwest colleagues gathered at the airport to honor her, including with a water cannon salute.

For Lupton, aviation was reportedly much more than a career.

“It wasn’t really a job. It was her life,” her niece Hannah Lupton said.

Her family remembers a woman who loved talking with passengers, making people feel welcome and ensuring nobody felt left out. Away from flying, she enjoyed hosting, cooking and gardening and was especially proud of her family and son.

But behind Thursday’s emotional homecoming are questions her loved ones say remain unanswered.

According to the family, they were told Lupton may have fallen from the balcony of her 24th-floor hotel room in Waikīkī. Her body was reportedly discovered near a waste area outside the hotel.

“The timeline doesn’t make sense,” her sister, Tresa Lupton, said.

The family has expressed concern that foul play could have been involved. Honolulu police, however, have reportedly classified the matter as an unattended death investigation, and the circumstances surrounding Lupton’s death remain under investigation. No conclusion of foul play has been announced.

For the Southwest employees waiting to welcome their colleague home one final time, the moment was deeply emotional.

“It doesn’t feel real,” Tresa said.

Jenny Lupton’s funeral is scheduled for Monday, September 14, at the Bricktown Event Center.

For a flight attendant who spent years welcoming people aboard, Thursday brought a heartbreaking reversal: this time, it was her colleagues waiting at the airport to welcome Jenny home.

May she rest in peace.