A Minnesota couple missing after a cruise ship capsized off the west coast of Italy had saved up for the trip and were greatly anticipating the adventure.
The family of Barbara Heil, 70, and her husband, Gerald Heil, 69, gathered over the weekend at the home of one of the couple’s four adult children in suburban Minneapolis to await word on what had become of their parents.
“We are waiting patiently for the rescuers to safely try to find our parents,” the Heil family said in a statement released yesterday. “Our prayers and thoughts are with our parents; those others that are still missing and their families; and the brave rescuers. We are working closely with the U.S. Embassy in Italy and are confident that everything is being done to find our parents.”
The Heils are among 29 people still missing after the Costa Concordia took on water and capsized shortly after gashing its hull on the rocky reef that rings much of the island of Giglio.
“They raised four kids and sent them all to private school, elementary to college, so they never had any money,” Sarah Heil told Chicago’s WBBM radio. “So when they retired, they went traveling. And this was to be a big deal — a 16-day trip. They were really excited about it.”
Longtime neighbor Jeannine Jaworski was still holding out hope that the couple would be found. “It’s shocking,” Jaworski told reporters. “So I am very worried. They’re great people, and he gardens, fabulous in the neighborhood. So we hope and we pray that we will hear soon.”
Members of the Church of St. Pius X in White Bear Lake described the Heils as quiet, kind people deeply involved in the congregation, where he taught religious classes and she made baked goods and other treats for parishioners.
The family of Barbara Heil, 70, and her husband, Gerald Heil, 69, gathered over the weekend at the home of one of the couple’s four adult children in suburban Minneapolis to await word on what had become of their parents.
“We are waiting patiently for the rescuers to safely try to find our parents,” the Heil family said in a statement released yesterday. “Our prayers and thoughts are with our parents; those others that are still missing and their families; and the brave rescuers. We are working closely with the U.S. Embassy in Italy and are confident that everything is being done to find our parents.”
The Heils are among 29 people still missing after the Costa Concordia took on water and capsized shortly after gashing its hull on the rocky reef that rings much of the island of Giglio.
“They raised four kids and sent them all to private school, elementary to college, so they never had any money,” Sarah Heil told Chicago’s WBBM radio. “So when they retired, they went traveling. And this was to be a big deal — a 16-day trip. They were really excited about it.”
Longtime neighbor Jeannine Jaworski was still holding out hope that the couple would be found. “It’s shocking,” Jaworski told reporters. “So I am very worried. They’re great people, and he gardens, fabulous in the neighborhood. So we hope and we pray that we will hear soon.”
Members of the Church of St. Pius X in White Bear Lake described the Heils as quiet, kind people deeply involved in the congregation, where he taught religious classes and she made baked goods and other treats for parishioners.
