Memorial service for nurse killed in helicopter crash to be held in Redding
Flight nurse Susan “Suzie” Smith died in a Sacramento helicopter crash earlier this month. Her memorial will be held at the Redding Civic Auditorium on Nov. 14.
A public memorial service for the flight nurse killed in the Sacramento helicopter crash on Oct. 6 will be held by family members in Redding next month.
Susan “Suzie” Smith, 67, was critically injured after a REACH Air Medical Services helicopter she was aboard crashed shortly after taking off from UC Davis Medical Center. She died four days later from her injuries.
Her family is hosting her celebration of life at the Redding Civic Auditorium on Nov. 14 at 6 p.m., according to her obituary.
Smith lived in Palo Cedro, served more than 20 years with Reach and had a 50-year nursing career. Her husband said in an interview with Sacramento television station ABC 10, “She was always looking out for somebody else.”
Smith’s body was flown back to the North State on Oct. 12 from Sacramento to Red Bluff, then driven in a ground procession to Palo Cedro that was attended by loved ones, first responders and other local residents.
Flight paramedic Margaret “DeDe” Davis and pilot Chad Millward were also seriously injured in the crash. Davis was recently released from the hospital and transferred to a rehabilitation facility, and Millward was still in the hospital as of last Friday.
The crash remains under investigation. REACH Air Medical Services provides critical air and ground care and transport in California, Nevada, Oregon, Colorado and Wyoming.
The Smith family is establishing a memorial fund in honor of the flight nurse, called “Our Angel That Flies Foundation,” which Flight nurse Susan “Suzie” Smith died in the Sacramento helicopter crash earlier this month. Her memorial will be held at the Redding Civic Auditorium on Nov. 14.is meant to support nursing education and humanitarian work. Donations can be made at Plumas Bank branches, Attention Matt Moseley, 192 Hartnell Ave., Redding, CA 96002.
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