PANGBURN, Diane 1956-1980

PANGBURN

Posted By: K. Kittleson
Date: 7/22/2009 at 21:11:24

Diane Kay Pangburn, 23, of Des Moines, Iowa, and formerly of Northwood, Iowa, died on November 21, 1980 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

She died in the infamous MGM-GRAND hotel fire. She was found in the 24th floor lobby of the hotel, where a number of other victims were also found.

Diane was born on December 11, 1956, the daughter of William Gary Pangburn Sr., and Sherrell J. (Hagen) Pangburn.

Burial was in the Stateline Cemetery in Freeborn county, Minnesota.

NOTE: William and Sherrell divorced at some point, and William married Eunice Hansen on July 15, 1989. Diane's mother, Sherrell died on July 19, 1989, and was buried in the Stateline Cemetery. Sherrell had married Raymond Downing.

Diane had travelled to Las Vegas with her boss, Thomas Spagnola, 40, of Des Moines, as they frequently did, on a combnation vacation and business trip. Mr. Spagnola also died in the fire.

SOURCES:
Carroll Daily Times Herald, Carroll, Iowa, Nov. 24, 1980.

Stateline cemetery listing at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mnfreeb2/cemeteries/statelinecemetery.txt

List of victims of the MGM-Grand fire:
http://www.idreamof.com/disaster/1980_mgm.html

Obituary for William Pangburn, at http://iagenweb.org/boards/worth/obituaries/index.cgi?read=242232