Sheila Hein, an analyst, was working for the U.S. Army’s management and budget office in the Pentagon when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into it last Tuesday. Hein, 51, is still missing.

Hein lived with her partner of 17 years, Peggy Neff, in University Park, Md. They bought a house there seven years ago as a "fixer-upper" and turned the back yard into their "own private park," Neff told the Washington Post. "She is what this yard is. There’s a whole lot of love here," Neff said.

Hein worked at the Pentagon for the last five years as a visual information specialist for the Army and had only recently changed jobs. She was at the Pentagon Tuesday taking part in an Army internship, studying manpower analysis. A native of Springfield, Mass., she joined the Navy after high school and was sent to Virginia. She spent 10 years in the service as a photographer, married twice, and ventured into a career in computer graphics, working on government contracts.

Hein received a bachelor’s degree from Columbia Union College three years ago after taking courses on and off for 20 years. "She decided it was time to finish it," Neff told the Post. She planned to get a master’s degree.

Hein belonged to a steam train club, loved to read, and recently convinced Neff that they should buy bicycles and ride together.

"Sheila is — was — the love of my life," Neff told the Montgomery County, Md., Gazette last Wednesday. "She loves life and she likes people and I pray to God she’s still alive."

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