Former Gatorette and flight attendant Elaine Sabino missing in Surfside collapse
Elaine Sabino flew across the country sporting her iconic look: platinum blonde hair and bright pink lipstick.
The Florida native spent years as a flight attendant with US Airways and JetBlue. She celebrated her 70th birthday in May.
Sabino is one of 159 people currently missing after the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South Condo in Surfside. She lived on the top floor with Richard Augustine, 77, who is also still missing.
The search continues. Here are some of the people missing after the Surfside condo collapse
She graduated from the University of Florida and was a baton twirler on the Gatorette team. She stayed in the sport by becoming a judge alongside best friend Shelly Angle.
She was a judge at national competitions and even went on to teach baton twirling.
Sabino loves staying active and uses dance as her avenue. She is a great jazz and belly dancer, Angle said.
Angle and Sabino were also flight attendants at the same time with US Airways. “We were like sisters and stayed in touch pretty often,” Angle said.
“The main thing people know about Elaine is she’s always there to give you a hand in everything you’re doing,” she said.
She was the extra set of hands in the kitchen and always offered her help setting up a party, Angle said. In 2009, Sabino even volunteered to help with the rescue mission when the US Airways Flight 1549 struck a flock of birds and made an emergency landing in the Hudson River.
Shortly before the building collapsed in Surfside, she returned from a trip to San Francisco with her crew, Angle said. Her most recent post on Facebook was two days before the collapse.
Sabino lived with Augustine in the penthouse on the 12th floor. She moved in because his wife, also her best friend, passed away. He offered her a place to stay and she helped care for him.
He has diabetes and heart problems, so she would make sure he attended his doctor’s appointments and took his medication. Their bedrooms were right next to the balcony, and that balcony is gone now, Angle said.
Sabino made sure the apartment was sparkling clean and was like a sister to Augustine.
“She was the ultimate hostess, on the airplane, everywhere,” she said.
