Honorees

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Year Honored
2013
Honoree
Shelly 'Shell' Lair-Langenbau
Title
Flight Nurse
Agency
Mercy Air Med
Agency City
Mason City
Agency State
IA
Last Call
1/2/13
Cause of Death
Medical Aviation Accident
Biography
graduated from Mason City High School in 1986 where she was active in swimming and track. She worked at Walmart while attending North Iowa Area Community College for practical nursing and then worked in the emergency room at Good Shepherd Hospital while working towards her registered nurse degree. She started at Mercy in the ER and continued her education at University of Iowa where she received her Bachelor of Science Nursing degree. She worked for Mercy Medical Center North Iowa for 15 years. She was an educator, always looking for continuing education opportunities for the staff, and she was a continuous learner.<br /> <br /> Shell married Jay Langenbau on August 19, 2005. To this union, two children were born: Liberty and McKenna. As many of her friends can attest, Shelly was an avid shopper. She enjoyed the Iowa Hawkeyes and Minnesota Vikings. She loved the hot weather and was planning on a cruise with friends. She loved to do 5K runs, most recently the Color Run in Des Moines and the Turkey Trot and the Polar Plunge, both in Clear Lake.<br /> <br /> Shell loved the Northwestern Steakhouse. She loved her concerts, Taylor Swift, Lori Line and, most recently, The Fresh Beat Band. She also was an avid collector of Wizard of Oz memorabilia. Her passion was helping people; she was an adrenaline junkie and loved working in the ER and especially being a Mercy Air Med Flight Nurse. When she wasn't working, she was with her pride and joy, Liberty and McKenna. She really enjoyed the summer when you could find her at the pool with the girls or in the front or back yard kicking back with a cold one, her husband, and good friends and watching the kids play.<br /> <br /> The crew Shelly was traveling with was flying 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. All crewmembers on board perished in the crash.<br /> <br /> Honored 2013