Wisconsin Wife, 80, Lands Plane for Dying Pilot Husband

John Collins was the president and CEO of the family business, C&S Manufacturing, in Sturgeon Bay and had 50 employees. He began flying planes in the 1980s and frequently volunteered his services for Angel Flight, a group that helps transport patients in need to the hospitals they need to get to.

Door County Sheriff's Office

An 80-year-old woman from the Sturgeon Bay... View Full Size

Door County Sheriff's Office

An 80-year-old woman from the Sturgeon Bay area took control of a twin-engine plane in the skies when her husband who was piloting the aircraft was fatally stricken.

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"My dad is the kind of guy that will help anybody. He's very generous and never turned anybody away," Richard Collins said. "He was like a father to anybody he knew. You couldn't find a better person. He's a better person than me. He's been a pillar in the community, my mom too."

Last week, the family spent time in Florida, relaxing by the ocean and eating out together.

Richard Collins remembered a conversation he heard his parents having in Florida last week while he was in his room going to bed.

"He says, 'Helen, I'm really lucky to have you.' And she said, 'No, I'm lucky to have you.' He said, 'No, I'm luckier to have you,'" Collins said through laughter and tears. "They were very tight."