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Ex-local among missing

Judy Spiegel formerly lived in Howland; searchers looking for her since Thursday

Judy Spiegel. a former Howland resident, is among those missing occupants following the partial condo collapse in Surfside, Fla. She has been missing since Thursday.

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HOWLAND — Howland attorney Ned Gold said he and his wife were “stunned” when they heard that Judy Spiegel, a former local, is among those missing following the partial condo collapse in Surfside, Fla.

“My wife and I — and she’s the one that saw it first — we weren’t sure. We had to see it again, and then we were absolutely clear it was Judy and the family, and we were stunned,” Gold said.

Judy Spiegel lived in Trumbull County in the mid-2000s when her husband, Kevin Spiegel, served as CEO of Trumbull Memorial Hospital, now Trumbull Regional Medical Center. Their children attended Howland High School.

Judy Spiegel has been missing since Thursday, when the Champlain Towers South condominium building partially collapsed. She reportedly was alone in her sixth-floor apartment while Kevin Spiegel was in California, where he commuted for work.

Gold, who knew the family when they lived in this area, said they were “very close-knit.”

“Kevin and Judy were both quite involved in the community,” Gold said. “Of course a lot of improvements were made under Kevin’s leadership at Trumbull Memorial Hospital during his tenure.”

Dr. Thomas James, a Howland physician who was chief medical officer under Kevin Spiegel, said he and Judy are “outstanding people, both of them.”

He said he and his wife were “devastated” when they heard the news.

The Spiegel family said Sunday that it is still holding out hope that Judy will be found alive.

Judy Spiegel’s son, Josh Spiegel, told Cleveland Jewish News that Judy, 65, is “the perfect mother and grandmother.”

He described his mother as a caring person, who has led philanthropic efforts to aid children’s hospitals across the country.

In her early adult life, she worked as a stockbroker on Wall Street, he said, became a real estate agent, and has a degree in education.

Josh Spiegel said he learned of the Surfside tragedy about 5:15 a.m. Thursday when his father called him to tell him the Champlain Towers South had collapsed with his mother inside.

He said he immediately drove from his home in Orlando to the site of the collapse and met his sister, Rachel Spiegel, of Fort Lauderdale, at the Surfside Community Center, which became the family reunification center. Rachel Spiegel was asked to provide a DNA sample through a mouth swab, Josh Spiegel said.

Meanwhile, Kevin Spiegel flew in immediately from Los Angeles, and Michael Spiegel, Josh’s brother, drove in from North Carolina, where he lives with his wife and 1¢-year-old daughter.

Since then, Josh Spiegel said, the family has been appealing to the public for help in locating Judy Spiegel.

“I don’t think anyone’s faced anything like this before,” Josh Spiegel said. “And this is something that should not happen. I’ve never heard of building collapsing in a first-world country. I mean this, I don’t think anyone in the entire world who lives in a modern country has ever experienced anything like this … especially in a city like Surfside, where it’s a relatively affluent community with extremely strict building codes.”

Cleveland Jewish News contributed to this story.

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