Family puzzled by train death

Investigators aren't sure if it was a suicide. Family and friends just don't understand it.

By SHERRI DAY, Times Staff Writer
Published October 30, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT Stanley Nicholas Pinder was a Mason and a Shriner. [Family photo]

TAMPA - A day after a Brandon man and his dog were killed in a collision with an Amtrak train, the man's family searched for answers.

Stanley Nicholas Pinder, 69, and his Dalmatian, Freckles, both died Sunday afternoon when Pinder's pickup truck was struck by the train, Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies said Monday. Investigators continued to investigate the crash late Monday and have not ruled out suicide.

"We just don't understand how something like this could happen," said Deborah Koehler, the fiancee of Pinder's brother, Robert Ward. "There's just a lot of unanswered questions, and we don't understand."

A Tampa native, Pinder was a businessman and socialite. He owned Custom Compactors Corp., a company that makes trash compactors for use in schools and hospitals.

During his free time, Pinder busied himself with various clubs and organizations, his friends and family said. He was a Mason for more than 25 years. He was also a Shriner, a member of several South Tampa private clubs and lodges and a king of the Krewe of Venus in 1992.

"This guy was interlaced into everything that is Tampa," said Danny Alvarez Sr., a law student and fellow Mason. "We are absolutely floored, and I think all of his friends are in a lot of pain."

In July, Pinder opened Gaspar's Cigar Shop at 3675 S Westshore Blvd. The shop doubled as a private club where members could access the smoking lounge by keypad after business hours.

Smoke hung heavy in the air at the cigar shop Monday afternoon. An employee and patrons declined to comment on Pinder's death, saying they were trying to sort everything out.

Pinder's business partner, Davelis "D.C." Goutoufas, said he last saw Pinder on Friday.

"He was in good spirits," Goutoufas said. "That's why it's even more surprising."

As Pinder's family struggled to make sense of his death Monday, they went through his belongings and learned more about his life. There were certificates for his work as a Mason, and papers noting his former roles as a merchant marine and licensed train conductor.

Pinder, family and friends said, had a fascination with trains. He often traveled by train and kept a model of a train sitting on tracks among the knickknacks on his shelf.

He was the oldest of four boys, and the very mention of his name garnered respect. Family members said they rarely called him by his first name. To them, he was "Mr. Pinder" or "Mr. P."

"We probably should go to the crash site and look and maybe reality will kick in for all of us," Koehler said. "I don't think it has kicked in. We don't understand how this could happen."

Sherri Day can be reached at 813-226-3405 or sday@sptimes.com.

[Last modified October 29, 2007, 23:46:10]