FUNERALS START: Helicopter Crash Victims

Victims of an air ambulance crash in northern Iowa will be laid to rest this week.

The three crew members on board a Mercy Medical Center helicopter based out of Mason City died last Wednesday night. 

The chopper was on its way to pick up a patient in Emmetsburg when it went down in a field near Ventura.  The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

Monday, family and friends will say their final goodbyes to nurse Shelly Lair-Langenbau during a 10:30 a.m. mass in Mason City.

Two funeral services are set for paramedic Russell Piehl. The first is Tuesday in Forest City, followed by a service Wednesday at Saint John’s Lutheran Church in Denver, Iowa at 1:00 p.m.

At last check, memorial services for the helicopter’s pilot Gene Grell, of Texas, have not been set yet.