A FAMILY is feeling after the sudden death of a mother of two just minutes into a flight home from vacation.

Stefanie Smith, 41, and her boyfriend were returning to Indiana after a vacation in the Dominican Republic, where she seemed happy and healthy.

“Everything I’ve seen in videos, they had a great time,” Smith’s brother, Chris Volz told the New York Post.

Volz added that he and his family weren’t aware if Smith had a pre-existing condition before her trip on February 24.

But now, they’re left with endless questions after she became ill during her American Airlines flight last week.

The plane diverted to Turks and Caicos, where Smith was later rushed to a hospital.

However, the mother would later die from her mysterious illness.

Her family has plans to send their own doctor to the Caribbean to perform an autopsy on her body before it’s brought back to the US.

Volz told the outlet that there are “still a lot of unknowns.”

He said that he first heard the news of his sister’s death from their parents on Wednesday night but could not “believe it’s true.

But he’s not the only one having a hard time.

“Everyone’s in shock, just waiting for news,” he said.

Volz said he’ll miss the way Smith would constantly call him because she “always wanted to affirm her love.”

One of Smith’s co-workers wrote in a social media post that she had issues accepting her shocking death.

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt heartache like this,” Kristina Swinney wrote on Facebook, however, it’s either been deleted or made private at the time of writing.

“The news today has shattered us. My days at work will forever be changed.”

Swinney said that she and Smith spoke recently “about how you wouldn’t let anyone have a bad day … you weren’t having any part of it.

The two worked together at the Memorial Hospital of South Bend, where Smith was an X-ray technician.

“It’s empty and quiet. The only peace I have is knowing where you are now,” wrote Swinney.

A GoFundMe was created to help support Smith’s children, Coen and Macee, who are now in the care of their father and other family members.

The fundraiser has raised more than $78,000 at the time of writing.

Volz said his sister was a dedicated mother with Swinney saying that she did everything to provide for her children.

“This GoFundMe won’t ease your pain, but moving forward, know that your mom would want you to accomplish your goals and always strive to be better versions of yourself,” she wrote.