‘Exemplary citizens and philanthropists’
Joe, Anita and daughter Laura Robertson die in crash near Greenville, Maine, airport
A plane crash in Maine has claimed the lives of three members of a philanthropic family from Niagara.
Police in Greenville, Maine, have confirmed Joe and Anita Robertson of Niagara-on-the Lake, both 58, and their daughter Laura, 24, died Monday after their plane, a twin-engined Aerostar, crashed on approach to Greenville Municipal Airport at 10:55 a.m.
The crash is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board.
The Robertsons are known for their philanthropic contributions to Niagara. In addition to leading campaigns with United Way of St. Catharines and District, they have made significant donations to a wide variety of causes, including Niagara Health and First Ontario Performing Arts Centre, where the Robertson Theatre is named in honour of their $500,000 contribution.
Joe Robertson was chair of
Brock University’s board of trustees from 2012 to 2014 and was a founding chair of the board of the Niagara Jazz Festival, from 2013 to 2015.
Carman Adair, a business associate and longtime friend of the family, said he is saddened by the news. Adair had just welcomed Robertson as a partner, and president and CEO, of Amax Health, as of July 26, a company news release said. The pair had worked together as partners in a dental business, Arcona Health Inc., before selling to Henry Schein Inc. in 1998, staying on as executives with the company until retiring from full-time positions in 2006.
“We are all saddened by the tragic death of Joe Robertson, his wife Anita and their daughter Laura yesterday,” Adair said from British Columbia. “Joe was a great person, great father, great husband, a close friend, prominent businessman.”
The couple also had two sons, Clark and Taylor. Laura was the youngest child.
The Robertsons, Adair said, were “exemplary citizens and philanthropists in the Niagara region.”
“They touched hundreds of people in a positive way. They will be sorely missed by many, many people,” said Adair. “My heart goes out to Joe and Anita’s two sons at this time. We are all grieving for their loss.”
Brock University officials, in a statement issued Tuesday, said they were mourning the loss of the Robertsons. Joe had not only been a former board of trustees chair, but Laura, the university said, had just been hired days earlier to work in the school’s athletics and recreation department.
“One cannot understate the enormous contribution Joe Robertson made to Brock University both as chair of the board and a passionate supporter of the university at every turn,” board chair Gary Comerford said in a statement.
University vice-president, administration, Brian Hutchings, who worked in the Robertson era for several years, remembered a dedicated family man who cherished his wife and kids. He also recalled a person who never attended a meeting without doing his homework and being “impeccably prepared.”
“He came in, learned the environment and stepped up to a leadership role here at Brock,” said Hutchings. “I think we’re indebted to Joe for the amount of hours and work he put into Brock to make it the great place it is today.”
Niagara-on-the-Lake fire Chief Robert Grimwood said Laura recently completed the recruit training program with Niagaraon-the-Lake Fire and Emergency Services. She had joined the fire service in January, spending six months training alongside the 2018 recruit class, he said.
“She had demonstrated a strong commitment to serving her community as a volunteer firefighter and expressed on many occasions how much she was enjoying being a firefighter and being part of our team,” said Grimwood. “Laura will be deeply missed by those she served with at Station 1 … and the rest of our fire department who had the opportunity to serve with her.”
United Way of St. Catharines and District chairman Peter Partridge Jr. said the loss of the couple and their daughter “is felt so deeply in the community they gave so much to.” He said staff and volunteers at United Way are deeply saddened by the news.
“Anita was an integral part of our organization. A longstanding volunteer, she led the 2015 campaign as campaign chair, only to continue on as a board member and dear friend. This past year Anita was instrumental in bring together the three United Ways (agencies in Niagara),” said Partridge. “She was incredibly organized, committed, prepared and passionate and was such a hard working volunteer. If you were fortunate enough to have known Joe and Anita you know that their compassion was unmatched.”
Peter Partridge Sr., who was fundraising chair for the performing arts centre and also served on Brock’s board of trustees, said he can recall the Robertsons’ excitement about being involved in helping see the arts centre come to life.
“They were very excited to be part of an opportunity to see the project develop and they have certainly left their mark in the theatre space in their name,” he said, noting Anita was once a dancer and was passionate about plans for the flexible black-box theatre space. “They were a wonderful couple who were so selfless, so generous and positive in their approach to life and helping others.”
St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik, in a statement, said the family will live on through the causes they supported, including the performing arts centre, where they were seat owners and regular patrons of performances.
“Joe and Anita were very kind and generous people who cared deeply about making our community more caring and inclusive,” said Sendzik. “They instilled these values into their children and their spirit will carry on through the many charities, foundations and causes they’ve so thoughtfully supported: the arts, music, health care, education and many others through the United Way.”
The FAA, in a brief statement, said the plane departed from Pembroke Airport in Pembroke, Ont., and was headed to Charlottetown Airport in Prince Edward Island, where the Robertsons were due to visit friends.
Flight records from FlightAware, a global aviation software company that offers free flighttracking, show the plane had made the trip from St. Catharines to Pembroke three times since July 21, including July 27. The plane left Pembroke at about 9:05 a.m. Monday, before crashing an hour and 50 minutes later at the Greenville airport. Reports from media in Maine indicate the plane appeared to be having difficulty just before it crashed.
Investigation continues
Terry Williams, a spokesperson with the National Transportation Safety Board, said in an interview that an on-scene investigation was initiated by the safety board Monday afternoon but is in the “very early stages.”
The investigation will include everything from looking at the plane’s approach, engine status, weather and pilot’s records.
“We’ll be moving the aircraft into a more secure location,” Williams said.
That initial investigation, he said, will likely take about seven to 10 days, and then a preliminary report will be filed.
“It will not include an analysis or determination about the cause (of the crash),” he said, adding that aspect of the investigation could take as long as 12 to 18 months to complete.