Gene L. Grell

Gene L. Grell, son of the late Clinton Lewis & Adele Vanden Heuvel Grell, entered eternal life on January 2, 2013. He was born July 14, 1959 at San Antonio, TX. He was predeceased by his infant sister, Mary Ann. He is survived by his fiancé Christina M. Gasparich and her two sons Connor and Christian, brothers Dudley C., Christopher V., and John A. Grell, niece, Ariana E. Grell, and Aunt Dorothy Grell Bethea. Gene an experienced pilot with over 2700 helicopter flight hours, was flying a Med Trans medical helicopter along with two crew members to pick up a patient at a nearby hospital. The helicopter crashed the evening of January 2nd near Ventura, IA. All flight crew members were lost. Gene graduated from Winston Churchill High School, San Antonio, TX, in 1977. He then graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Computer Science. From there he pursued a career in the computer industry in the Silicon Valley for the next 20 years. The following 10 years he pursued his passion for flying in aviation, both with fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. Gene was an avid snow skier, scuba diver, and world traveler. He also enjoyed his family and friends. He will be missed by many. A Memorial Mass Service for Gene will be held at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, 223 East Summit Avenue, San Antonio, TX 78212, Saturday, January 19th at 11:00am, followed by a Lunch Reception in the Madonna Room behind the church starting at 12:00pm. The Celebrant will be Father Jonathan Felux. There will not be a cemetery service. The family requests that memorials be made to the following: The Mercy Foundation-North Iowa has established memorial funds to the flight crew lost. Donations may be sent to: The Gene Grell Memorial Fund. If you plan to donate, they ask that you send it to: The Gene Grell Fund Mercy Foundation-North Iowa, 1000 4th Street SW, Mason City, IA 50401. Also, if you plan to send a check, make it payable to: 'Mercy Foundation-North Iowa'. You can also call in a donation by calling 641-428-7740.