https://www.the-sun.com/news/9706335/kurt-monica-villani-rainbow-bridge-explosion-niagara-falls/ And then about an hour later, heard the news and I'm like, oh my God."
Their other neighbor Mary Meyer commented: "They were so loved.
"It's really shock and devastation and it's just gut-wrenching really, really.
"They were so generous and kind and always willing to help.
"Just always willing to help and lend a hand. Always, always, always. They were just so very, kind wonderful people."
More of Kurt and Monica's neighbors noted the amount of help they offered to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Niagara Falls and the Niagara Sailing Clubhouse.
Both Kurt and Monica Villani were 53-year-old residents of Grand Island, New York.
They owned and operated Gui's Lumber, a tool and hardware chain native to the abovementioned area.
Their family business was founded by Kurt's father in 1986.
Kurt and Monica married in May 1995 and are survived by their two children; son Kurt Jr. and daughter Mia.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12787659/Couple-killed-Rainbow-Bridge-car-explosion-named-Kurt-Monica-Villani.html
Friends say they'd been having problems with the gas pedal in prior weeks
The family operated Gui's Lumber which has seven locations, including one in Niagara Falls, where Wednesday's fatal crash took place. The chain began with Villani's father, Kurt M. Villani, in 1986.
In 2015, the family's business made headlines across the region when they were exonerated following a lengthy investigation by revenue authorities in which they were found to have 'overpaid' on some taxes rather than 'underpaid,' as had been alleged.
Wednesday's incident is not the first time a horrific crash has claimed the life of a member of the Villani family.
In July 1978, Villani's grandmother, Lorraine, was killed when she was flung from a boat that was traveling along the Niagara River at 3am. Kurt M. and his wife, Gail Villani, were also on board at the time but were unharmed.
The boat struck a bridge while Lorraine Villani was at the helm. The family later successfully sued the company that built the bridge, after it was found to not have been properly illuminated, for $120,000 in 1984.
Online records show that the Villani family owns a range of properties in the Grand Island-area.