The Known ‘Conception’ Victims
A Dozen Individuals Were Identified by Families
As of Tuesday, the Sheriff’s Office has been vague about when it will release the list of names of passengers and crew, although dozens of families have been in touch with the department to learn about the fate of their loved ones.
Among the victims is Kristy Finstad, whose parents had started Worldwide Diving Adventures, the outfit that organized the Conception expedition. She was leading the dive, her brother, Brett Harmeling, wrote in a Facebook post. Finstad, 41, was a co-owner of the family-run business, which got its start in Santa Cruz in 1972. She and her husband, UCSB graduate Dan Chua, regularly led dive trips around the world. “I am alive but wish I was onboard with Kristy,” Chua wrote on Facebook. “I am crushed.”
Five members of a Stockton family were identified by a relative, Susana Rosas, on her Facebook page. Rosas said her three daughters — Evan, Nicole, and Angela Rose Quitasol — their father, Michael Quitasol, and stepmother, Fernisa Sison, were on board. “It is with a broken heart … 3 of our daughters were on this boat,” Rosas wrote. “As of now they are still missing … The authorities do not have much to say to us.”
Scott Chan, a physics teacher at American High School in Fremont, was identified by the Fremont Unified School District. The district said that Chan’s daughter, Kendra, was also on board. Kevin Chan, Kendra’s brother, wrote on Facebook: “Thanks for being my big sister, Kendra. I’ll miss you and your love for all things outdoors and underwater. Rest easy.”
The mother of Allie Kurtz, 25, identified her as the Conception crew member who perished. Kurtz was from Cincinnati and had moved to Southern California to work on marketing campaigns for Paramount Pictures. She’d recently decided to become a dive instructor. “She was following her dream,” her mother told reporters. “She loved it here. She loved the boat. She loved diving.”
Among the missing are two unidentified students from Pacific Collegiate School in Santa Cruz, according to parents of students at the school. “Our hearts and prayers are with the families of the victims and those that are missing, particularly those of our students,” the school wrote in a statement.
Charles “Chuck” McIlvain, 44, was identified by his friend Culver City Councilmember Alex Fisch, who adjourned Tuesday night’s meeting in McIlvain’s honor. McIlvain had worked for Sony Pictures Imageworks in Culver City for 15 years.
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