JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Friends and family of a Jacksonville Beach man killed in a small plane crash near Melbourne last week gathered Sunday to say goodbye.
Steele Gudal and his father-in-law, James DeVoe, along with the plane's pilot, Michael Beane, also of Jacksonville Beach, died in the crash Thursday.
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The memorial service was to celebrate his life and keep his memory alive.
Gudal and his wife, Amy, moved to Jacksonville Beach a few years ago from Indiana. She lost her husband and father in the crash.
"He had a level of intensity that was just magnetic," Amy Gudal said of her husband.
Last January an Indianapolis television station recognized Steel Gudal for establishing a school for autistic kids. Gudal has set up a similar school here.
Gudal was 42 years old.
DeVoe was the founder of JD Byrider Systems Inc., a automotive financing company with 123 locations in 28 states. Gudal was a stockholder and franchisee.
A company spokesman in Carmel, Ind., said DeVoe and Gudal were headed to Melbourne to see some property being considered for a new location.
Investigators said the twin-engine, six-seat Cessna that left from Jacksonville's Craig Airport nose-dived into the ground on approach to the airport in Melbourne. The plane burst into flames, killing all three men.
Previous Stories:
- March 25, 2006: Investigators On Scene Of Triple Fatal Plane Crash
- March 24, 2006: Investigators On Scene Of Triple Fatal Plane Crash
- March 23, 2006: 3 Killed In Two-Engine Plane Crash In Melbourne