Rochester Mourns Jewish Couple Killed in Plane Crash Off Jamaica
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Officials have confirmed that a Jewish couple died in a plane crash off the coast of Jamaica on Friday.
Larry and Jane Glazer of Rochester, N.Y. were flying in their private plane Friday morning, when the pilot stopped responding to calls from Coast Guard radio. Both knew how to fly, but officials do not know who was manninig the plane.
Lawrence Fine, the Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Rochester, said that the Glazers were very involved in Jewish and community life and were outstanding people.
“They were both leaders in the community and the business world,” Fine said. “Both will be hugely missed.”
Both Glazers served terms as members of the Jewish Federation of Rochester board. Larry Glazer had a successful real estate business and was also a board member on the board of the Jewish Home of Rochester.
Larry Glazer co-founded Buckingham Properties in 1970 and was the company’s CEO and managing partner. According to his bio, Larry Glazer was an active board member for the Jewish Home of Rochester. He also “spends some of his spare time on the ground — gardening around his house with his wife, Jane; and some in the sky — flying his plane.”
The Glazers, both 68, were married for 47 years and had three children — Melinda, Richard and Kenneth.
Maggie Brooks, Monroe County’s executive, stressed the couple’s impact on the Rochester community. Larry Glazer had left his mark on the Rochester skyline. Jane Glazer ran a mail-order homeware company called QCI Direct, Brooks said.
“They were personal friends of mine as well as amazing community leaders, philanthropists in so many ways, so this truly is a devastating loss on so many different levels for Rochester,” Brooks said at a news conference on Friday.
Heidi Zimmer-Meyer, president of Rochester Downtown Development Corp, said the Glazers’ tragic death was “my worst nightmare.” A tweet from an account called “Downtown Rochester” called on citizens to “keep the Glazer family in your thoughts.”
Please keep the Glazer family in your thoughts during this extremely difficult time. Such a sad week for #Rochester.
— Downtown Rochester (@DowntownRoc) September 5, 2014
Fine, who also knew them personally, emphasized the family’s character. “They were just really, really good people,” he said.
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