Remembering those who died in the condo building collapse in Surfside, Florida – USA TODAY

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The bodies of 10 people have been recovered after an oceanfront condominium building suddenly buckled and collapsed on Thursday, June 24, in Surfside, Florida. 

As of Monday, June 28, there were 151 people unaccounted for, as desperate families continued their vigil in the beachfront barrier island community.

Workers continued, in relentless 12-hour shifts, sifting through the rubble and listening for signs of life in the search for possible survivors. As the search for survivors continues, authorities have begun to release the identities of the deceased.

This list will be updated as USA TODAY Network reporters continue to share more stories about those who died after the tower collapsed. 

Stacie Dawn Fang

The first victim to be identified; her 15-year-old son was pulled alive from the wreckage 

Stacie Fang

Stacie Fang, 54, was the vice president of Customer Relationship Management Conference, a company that produces an annual event in Chicago for customer relationship management retail and marketing executives. She had worked at the Surfside-based firm for 12 years. 

A spokesperson for the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner Department told the New York Times that Fang had been pulled from the wreckage of the condo and taken to Aventura Hospital and Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead of blunt force trauma.

Fang’s teen son is a sophomore, junior-varsity baseball player at a local high school, according to Miami’s WSVN. The boy was rescued by a man who was walking his dog near the building at the time of the collapse.

Read more about Stacie here. 

Antonio and Gladys Lozano

The couple would have celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary in July

Gladys and Antonio Lozano

Antonio, 83, and Gladys, 79, lived in unit 903 in the South tower. The couple was among a group of older Cubans who lived in the condo complex.

Their son, Sergio Lozano, said if there’s any solace in their deaths, it’s in knowing the two “went together and went quickly.”

Sergio was able to have dinner with his parents just hours before the collapse Thursday morning. He lives in the Champlain Towers sister condo building across the way and could see his parents’ place from his balcony.

The couple is survived by their sons, Sergio and Antonio Jr., grandson Brian and other family members. 

Read more about the Lozanos here.

Manuel ‘Manny’ LaFont

The father of two said he wanted his life to mean something

Manuel LaFont

Manuel LaFont, 54, once told a reporter, “When I die, I want to say that my life meant something. I want to help people. I want to do something good in this world.”

LaFont grew up in Houston before moving to South Florida. He owned condo unit 801 and was hailed as a devoted father, a coach and a business consultant, according to the Miami Herald. 

LaFont’s ex-wife said on social media she had picked up their two children, Mia, 13, and Santi, 10, at Champlain Towers only hours before the collapse.

According to the Miami Herald, Manny LaFont could often be found on the baseball diamond, playing with his son, whose team — The Astros at North Shore Park — he coached. Together, they shared a passion for the game. He told Adriana he planned to take Santi fishing soon. 

LaFont worked at Lindsay Transportation Solutions, where he led a roadway safety division. He also was a parishioner at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Miami Beach.

Read more about Manuel here. 

Related coverage 

Here are links to some of our recent stories about this tragedy.

How to help victims of Surfside devastation, things to know

‘We were racing against time’: New Jersey family lives to tell of harrowing escape from collapsing Florida condo building

Collapsed Miami condo had been sinking into Earth as early as the 1990s, researchers say

Inspection reports for collapsed Miami-area condo detail ‘major structural damage’ over garage

Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2021/06/28/victims-surfside-florida-condo-building-collapse-obituaries/7783658002/

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