For Cristina Grossu, YOLO was her mantra — as Realtor, mom and Greg Biffle’s wife
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Greg Biffle, 6 others killed in NC plane crash
A plane crashed early Thursday at Statesville Regional Airport, killing seven people, including NASCAR star Greg Biffle, his wife and two children, and three other people. Biffle, who flew aircraft in WNC to help victims of Hurricane Helene, owned the Cessna that crashed mid-morning north of Charlotte.
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Rapper Drake may have famously sung the lines, “You only live once. That’s the motto…YOLO.” But Cristina Grossu Biffle lived that mantra every day.
It was clear in the many hats she wore. Realtor and Mooresville agency owner. Thrift shopper. Humanitarian. Bahamas lover. Event planner. Philanthropist. Travel agent. Giver. Mother. Wife.
And if the titles aren’t enough, just ask her friends.
“She wasn’t going to waste any time, and she wasn’t going to let you waste it either,” said Cornelius businesswoman Shandy Ray. “She wouldn’t take no for an answer. She wouldn’t let you give her excuses on why you couldn’t go on that trip or to that event, you were going.
“Almost (like) she knew the life clock was ticking fast.”
Grossu, 35, was one of the seven people who died in a plane crash at Statesville Regional Airport last week, along with her husband, NASCAR star Greg Biffle, their two children, Craig Wadsworth, and Dennis and Jack Dutton. Federal authorities are continuing to investigate the crash.
In remembrance posts on social media, the YOLO slogan was sewn throughout, along with the promise to never say no. Because what happens when there is no tomorrow?
“If I had a dollar for every time Cristina told me over the years “YOLO, you only get one life, life’s too short, do it, get going,” one person wrote. “May we all live like we are on borrowed time…to the fullest with so much love.”
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Ray said the same in her Instagram post.
“Tomorrow will be one week since I saw you for the last time. We talked about saving the bottles of Caymus that night and opened the Bonanza instead. Now I wish we would have opened the Caymus,” Ray posted on Sunday. “Thank you for being you. I’m going to miss you but I will see you again, this is not where it ends. Rest in paradise, Biffle family. P.S. Open the Caymus.”
Who was Cristina Grossu?
One of the main hats worn by Grossu was as real estate agent. She became a broker in 2012 and was licensed in the Carolinas, Florida, Virginia and Washington D.C.
In August, Grossu started her own real estate company, Leisurely Real Estate. The first line of her about page reads, “A people person with a strong desire to help others…”
The sentence continues along the lines of her real estate prowess. A 30 Under 30 Award recipient from The National Association of REALTOR®. Numerous rising star awards. And over 300 sales and purchases.
But that “strong desire to help others” and the “I promise to answer your call” extended far beyond real estate, Grossu noted at the end of her biography.
“Cristina had a way of being fully present, intentional and deeply attentive in a world that often isn’t,” Ray said. “She was the kind of friend that showed up no matter how busy her own life was. She was the most selfless person I ever knew, and was always pushing you to be the best version of yourself that you could be.”
In between real estate sales, Grossu started My Replica Ring, a company that creates copies of wedding rings using photos of the wedding bands. It was a way for people to wear their wedding rings without the fear of losing the real thing.
Grossu wrote a children’s book about financial literacy, “Learning to Earn with Romanza Madge,” introducing the world to a ballerina trying to earn money to keep her hobby going.
Outside of her multiple businesses, Grossu took girls’ trips to Miami or the Bahamas, where the Biffles were married on New Year’s Eve 2022. She was the type of friend who would tell restaurant workers it was someone’s birthday for the cake and embarrassing song, according to her Instagram posts.
Grossu was a bit of a daredevil. She got behind the wheel once for a Mother’s Day Grand Prix event at Freedom Factory, Cleetus McFarland’s racetrack. McFarland is a part-time driver, full-time Youtube star and friend of Greg Biffle.
And she participated several times in the NASCAR Hall of Fame Foundation’s Over the Edge Event, where people rappel 10 stories down the Embassy Suites Charlotte Uptown building. The rappellers raise money for youth education services.
Grossu also took numerous trips to Western North Carolina, providing aid to those in need in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The Biffles took their private helicopter to deliver supplies.
And when her husband needed more support in the air, Grossu handled deliveries and runs on the ground, according to Realtor News. She was awarded the 2024 Canopy Housing Foundation’s Humanitarian Award for her efforts.
Grossu expressed interest in doing the same thing for those in the Caribbean effected by Hurricane Melissa.
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And before her death, Grossu sent out over 2,000 letters from Santa to children in need.
She also sent out a family Christmas card, according to social media posts, with a note that read: “We hope that you are able to slow down and enjoy the magic and joy this season has to offer.”
Cristina Grossu embraced life
Ray met Grossu in 2019 when Ray started dating her husband, Matt. The Rays own Impact Foam Solutions in Cornelius, which manufactures foam inserts that increase driver safety in motorsports. Matt Ray worked with Greg Biffle.
In February at the Daytona 500, Ray said it would have been seven years since she’s known Grossu. “Definitely not long enough,” Ray said.
On the surface, the couple will be missed at Daytona because the Biffles had the party boat. Ray said the pair would park their yacht, “Checkered Past” at The Chart House, and it served as home base for the week’s activities.
But deeper than that, it’s the pair’s presence that will really be missed. Mainly because, if you were in their presence, they chose you to be there, according to a post from Grossu.
In a Sept. 19 post the image reads, “Today is borrowed time. Spend it wisely.”
In the caption, Grossu writes “Life’s too short to spend it stuck in a cycle you don’t love … At the end of the day, your time, energy, and love are your greatest currency. Spend them wisely. Prioritize moments with people who matter. Create memories that make your soul smile.”
Although their time together was short, Ray said Grossu was a constant presence. And as Grossu put it, she was always a call away.
“She lived life to the absolute fullest,” Ray said. “Embracing every single day as it could be her last up until the day that was her last.”
This story was originally published December 23, 2025 at 5:05 AM with the headline "For Cristina Grossu, YOLO was her mantra — as Realtor, mom and Greg Biffle’s wife."
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