Mudslides claim couple married 50 years, real estate agent
MONTECITO (AP) — A victim of California’s deadly mudslides had celebrated his 89th birthday just hours earlier, while another was a ballerina turned real estate agent known as “The First Lady of Luxury Real Estate” in parts of Montecito, an enclave for the wealthy and famous.
Survivors included a 14-year-old girl miraculously pulled muddy and dazed from a home collapsed by the flows that killed her father.
As authorities looked for victims and residents took stock of the devastation Thursday, some were left to wonder how they survived when their neighbors didn’t.
Jim and Alice Mitchell had been married for more than 50 years and had just celebrated Jim’s 89th birthday when they were swept away along with their beloved dog Gigi.
Jim, who worked in labor relations, and Alice, a schoolteacher, had raised their two children in Southern California’s Orange County before moving to Montecito in 1995 after retiring.
“They’re an adorable couple, and they were in love with their house,” their daughter Kelly Weime said Wednesday before learning they had died.
She last spoke to them Monday when she called to wish her father a happy birthday.
The couple had planned to stay in the night of the storm and have a quiet dinner. Their grandson had taken them out to celebrate the day before.
The Mitchells are survived by their two children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Rebecca Riskin was the picture of success and health before she was killed.
Her firm, Riskin Partners, credited the former ballerina with having closed more than $2 billion in highend real estate sales since founding the company in the early 1990s.
“She’s leaving a huge void. She was exceptional,” said Gina Conte, who described the 61-year-old Riskin as her best friend, mentor and confidante.
Conte said Riskin, who was the maid of honor at her wedding, took joy in pairing the perfect home with the perfect family and loved cooking, going for long walks and spending movie nights with her family.