Both victims of Markham plane crash identified
Posted May 28, 2010 8:25 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
BURLINGTON, Ont. – The family of a successful businessman has identified Paul Jess as the man behind the controls of a single engine plane which crashed into a Markham office building on Tuesday afternoon.
54 year old Jess and a female passenger, now identified as 50 year old Nancy Noakes, died when the advanced Cirrus SR20 four seater plane crashed through the roof of Thinkway Toys, approximately half a kilometre away from Buttonville Airport, shortly after takeoff.
Jess grew up in Oakville and was the father of three adult children. He was a very experienced pilot who had flown all over North America.
In 1991, Jess and wife Gwen opened Holly’s Pride, a luxury pet kennel business, with facilities in Burlington and Ancaster.
Family spokeswoman Amanda Fraser, who is Holly’s Pride’s general manager, said her boss loved to attend air shows across the continent, and had flown to events in Florida a number of times.
Noakes was a family friend, and lived in Milton working as a librarian.
