A prominent businessman in the financial industry was killed over the weekend along with his companion when their plane crashed in the Muskoka region.
Jack Lawrence, CEO of Lawrence Asset Management Inc. and his companion Carol Richardson were riding in a single-engine Cessna when it went down at around 3:30 p.m. in the village of Torrance, located about a half-hour drive north of Barrie.
The company put out a news release Tuesday saying the couple was flying home from their family cottage in Muskoka when they crashed.
Ontario Provincial Police say there were only two passengers on board. They are looking into what caused the plane to go down.
A resident of the area told The Canadian Press yesterday that the plane crashed on his property and became fully engulfed by flames.
He said he called out to the flaming wreckage but no one answered him.
Lawrence, who worked on Bay Street in Toronto, was a tireless father and grandfather who always looked after his children's future, the news release said.
"The health and happiness of his family was his first priority and the family is extraordinarily grateful for the years they spent with their father," it said. "He taught his children lessons for each to find his or her own way with tremendous support, creativity and mentorship."
In 2001, the 75-year-old made a $3.7 million donation to the Richard Ivey School of Business to fund the Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management.
Lawrence spent his last weekend playing tennis with his eldest son and enjoyed dinner with friends and family.
No funeral announcements have been made.
