Havana 1961

09/01/2026

Update on my mom ❤️

My mom is still hanging on, and every day feels so uncertain. Some days she seems to have a little more strength and does okay for most of the day, and then there are other days when she is just completely down.

They have moved her from hospice back to the hospital again. The doctors are saying she will most likely be going right back to hospice again, so it just feels like we are going back and forth and never really knowing what the next day is going to bring.

This has been so hard on my heart. Harder because she asked us to come me & Emma and James , The hardest part is knowing she is there and I still haven’t been able to get to her because I simply can’t afford the trip right now. It hurts more than I can explain knowing that time keeps passing and I don’t know how much time we have left.

I also haven’t been feeling well myself and have been going to the doctor for tests. I know a lot of what I have been feeling is probably coming from all the stress I’ve been carrying. Between worrying about my mom, trying to figure out what I’m going to do with work and life, and everything else going on, some days it just feels like too much.

But again… one day at a time. That’s really all I can do right now. Keep going, keep praying, and hope somehow things work out and I can get to my mom soon.

Thank you so much to everyone who has prayed for her, prayed for me, checked on us, or simply kept us in your thoughts. Please continue to keep the prayers coming. We need them more than ever right now. ❤️

08/17/2026

❤️ Quick Update from Havana 1961 ❤️

I just wanted to give everyone a quick personal update. My mom is still in hospice, and things have been very up and down.

Unfortunately, I still haven’t been able to make the trip to see her, which has been really hard on me. I’m just hoping and praying that I’ll get the chance to see her soon.

If you could please keep my mom, me, and our family in your prayers, it would mean more than you know. 🙏❤️

Thank you to everyone who has reached out, checked on us, and continued to show your love and support. It truly means a lot.

— Maria & Havana 1961 ❤️

08/09/2026

Update on my Mom ❤️

I just wanted to give everyone a little update on my mom. She is still in hospice, and right now we are just taking things one day at a time.

This is such a difficult and emotional time, and there are so many feelings that come with watching someone you love go through this.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out, checked on us, prayed for her, and kept our family in your thoughts. It truly means more than you know.

Please continue to keep my mom in your prayers and pray that she is comfortable and at peace. ❤️🙏

08/02/2026

Today we received some heartbreaking news. My mom has now been placed on hospice care.

My heart is broken. The hardest part is that I can’t go see her right now, and I’m praying with everything I have that she holds on just a little while longer until I can be there try and get there but right now it is not possible.

If you pray, I would be so grateful if you would say a prayer for my mom—for her comfort and peace—and for our family as we go through this incredibly difficult time.

Please also pray that I get the chance to see her again.

Thank you all for your love, prayers, and support. They mean more than you know.

Plus she is 1000 miles from me ..❤️

07/24/2026

Hi everyone!

Boy, do we ever miss seeing all of you! ❤️ We wanted to give everyone a little update.

After looking at several different options, we’ve decided that what we really want is a small used food trailer. The cost of renting a building is just too high, and we don’t want to take on that kind of overhead every month.

With a food trailer, we won’t have to worry about expensive rent, high power bills, and many of the other costs that come with a storefront. It will allow us to focus on what we love most—serving you delicious Cuban food!

We’re going to be patient and wait until we have enough money to purchase the right trailer. Until then, we’ll continue raising funds through our Cash App. Every donation, share, word of encouragement, and prayer means more to us than you’ll ever know.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for standing by Havana 1961. We truly can’t wait to serve you all again. ❤️🇨🇺

07/18/2026

Good afternoon, Havana 1961 family! ❤️

We hope you’re all having a beautiful Saturday.

We wanted to officially let everyone know that Havana 1961 is now closed due to ongoing issues with the building. Unfortunately, we simply could not keep up with the maintenance and repair costs any longer. This was not an easy decision, but it was one we had to make.

Please know that we didn’t close because we wanted to. We love serving this community, and we miss seeing all of your smiling faces.

The good news is that we’re already looking toward the future! Our plan is to bring Havana back through food stands, festivals, and hopefully a food trailer. Thanks to your incredible generosity, we’ve officially raised $500 toward our food trailer through Cash App! Every donation brings us one step closer to cooking for all of you again.

We also want everyone to know that if you have any free sandwich cards or FOX 2 coupons, don’t worry—we will absolutely honor them once we’re back up and running. Just send us a message so we can keep in touch.

For those who have asked, we’ll post our Cash App again below. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who has donated, shared our posts, sent encouraging messages, or simply believed in us. Your support means more than you know.

This isn’t goodbye—it’s just the beginning of a new chapter for Havana 1961.

We love you all, we miss you, and we can’t wait to serve you again soon.

❤️ With love,
The Havana 1961 Family

07/11/2026

This is very sad please pray for everyone we will be headed down to help with food and water and anything else they made need ..

It is the least we can do ..

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D1x2pgnph/?mibextid=wwXIfr

MEDIA RELEASE

The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office is providing an update regarding today’s flood-related search operation.

It is with deep sadness that we report the missing victim has been located deceased approximately 1.8 miles downstream from her residence in the Huzzah Creek.

At approximately 1130 hours volunteer searchers located the victim, Faith Gregory and immediately notified law enforcement personnel assigned to the search operation. Members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, Steelville Fire Protection District, Quad County Fire Protection District, and the Crawford County Coroner responded to the scene to recover the victim.

This is not the outcome that any of us were hoping for. Our thoughts and prayers are with Faith’s family, friends, and all those affected by this tragic loss.

The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office extends our sincere gratitude to the many volunteers, fire departments, law enforcement agencies, emergency responders, drone operators, and search personnel who dedicated countless hours to this search effort despite difficult and hazardous conditions. Your professionalism, teamwork, and commitment to serving others made an incredible difference throughout this operation.

We also want to express our heartfelt appreciation to the members of our community who generously brought food, water, and other refreshments to the scene for first responders. Your kindness and support during a difficult time were deeply appreciated by everyone involved.

While this search has come to a heartbreaking conclusion, it once again demonstrated the strength of our community and the willingness of so many to come together in a time of need.

Out of respect for the family’s privacy, no additional information will be released at this time.

Sheriff Darin J. Layman
Crawford County Sheriff’s Office

07/08/2026

A New Beginning for Havana 1961 ❤️

After a lot of thinking and praying, we have finally made a decision about how we’re going to reopen Havana 1961.

Instead of opening another restaurant, we’ve decided that our future is going to be a food trailer.

With food costs continuing to rise, electric bills getting more expensive, gas prices, and all the other expenses that come with a full restaurant, we feel this is the best way for us to bring Havana back while keeping our dream alive.

We’re not looking for a huge trailer—just a small one that will allow us to do what we love most: making our famous Cuban sandwiches and serving the community that has supported us from the very beginning.

Our plan is to travel to festivals, community events, and food stands, bringing Havana 1961 to even more people.

We know it may take us a little while to save enough money, but we’re determined to make it happen.

I also want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has donated through our Cash App. Your kindness has reminded us that people truly care and want to see Havana succeed again.

So far, we’ve raised $425.00 toward our food trailer! 🎉

I’ll continue to keep everyone updated as we get closer to our goal and let you know how much we’ve raised along the way.

As a special thank-you, everyone who donates will be invited to sign their name on our food trailer. Every signature will be a reminder that Havana 1961 came back because of the love and support of this amazing community.

This isn’t goodbye—it’s simply the beginning of our next chapter.

We can’t wait to serve you again. ❤️

07/08/2026

We just want to take a moment to say THANK YOU to everyone who has donated through our Cash App to help us get a food truck. ❤️

Every single donation, no matter the amount, is helping us get one step closer to making this dream a reality. Your kindness and support mean more to us than words can express.

We also want to do something special for everyone who helps us along this journey. When we finally get our food truck, everyone who donated will have a place to sign their name on it. We want it to be a reminder that this wasn’t just our dream—it became possible because of an amazing community that believed in us.

Thank you for standing by Havana 1961 through the good times and the hard times. We can’t wait to serve you from our new food truck and carry a piece of each of you with us wherever we go.

With love and gratitude,
The Havana 1961 Family 🇨🇺❤️

07/08/2026

❤️ A little bit of good news during a difficult time…

Because so many of you encouraged us to share our Cash App, we wanted to let you know that we have officially raised $400 toward the purchase of our future food trailer!

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone who has donated. Every single dollar, no matter the amount, brings us one step closer to continuing Havana 1961 in a new way.

These past few weeks have been incredibly hard, but your kindness, support, and belief in us have reminded us that we’re not alone. We can’t thank you enough for standing beside us through all of this.

We’re not giving up. This is just the beginning, and with your help, we’re hoping to bring Havana 1961 back on the road so we can continue serving the amazing community that has become family to us.

Thank you for believing in our dream. ❤️