Honorees

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Year Honored
2013
Honoree
Gene Grell
Title
Pilot
Agency
Mercy Air Med/Med-Trans
Agency City
Mason City
Agency State
IA
Last Call
1/2/13
Cause of Death
Medical Aviation Accident
Biography
Gene Grell was ready to begin a new life as a husband and father. "He loved flying; he absolutely loved the work; he liked the fact it was challenging, and he really liked that teamwork-type atmosphere," said his fianc?e, Christina.<br /> <br /> Grell was a native of San Antonio and grew up there. He graduated from Winston Churchill High School and was a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and spent many years in a career in the computer industry. He was drawn to flying, however. He was a flight instructor in Texas and then flew tours in California, Las Vegas, Hawaii and Alaska. He was an experienced pilot with over 2700 helicopter flight hours. Grell began working for Air Methods in St. Louis, a medical air service, in July 2010 and often flew pediatric patients. He moved on to Med-Trans, the company contracted to fly for Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa.<br /> <br /> Gene was an avid snow skier, scuba diver, and world traveler. He also enjoyed his family and friends. He met his fianc?e, Christina, while working for an air medical service in St. Louis, Missouri. He was close to her children, Connor, 9, and Christian, 15. The family planned on moving to Iowa City after their wedding.<br /> <br /> Gene and a medical crew were traveling from Mercy Medical Center - North Iowa in Mason City to pick up a patient at the Palo Alto County Hospital in Emmetsburg when their helicopter crashed in a field near Ventura on January 2 shortly before 9 p.m. All aboard the helicopter were killed.<br /> <br /> Honored 2013