Citrus residents mourn loss of activist in plane crash

By BILL VARIAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 18, 2000

CITRUS HILLS -- Jacques Olivier was a pilot, sailor, real estate broker, electrician, automobile pitchman, gourmet, Rotarian, Frenchman -- and an American.

"He was a liver," said Berkely Hendrix, of Tampa, a decadelong friend of Olivier's.

As investigators continued looking at what led to a midair collision between an Air Force jet and a Cessna in which Olivier died, friends gathered at his home Friday to offer condolences and support to his wife of nearly 30 years, Danielle.

Olivier, 57 who lived in the central Citrus County community of Hernando, was killed in the Thursday afternoon collision over southern Manatee County. The F-16 pilot ejected safely.,

Around Citrus County, people expressed shock and sadness over the death of the former Rotary Club president and community activist who was instrumental in the redevelopment of downtown Inverness.

Randy Van Alstine, president of the Rotary Club of Inverness, said he will remember Olivier, when he sits down for his Thanksgiving dinner Thursday to give thanks for good health and friends.

"This year we will have some meaning behind what we say," said Van Alstine.

Olivier, a native Parisian, was a pilot for Crystal Aero Group Inc., which runs both of Citrus County's small public airports and owns the plane he was flying. The company also offers flying lessons and charter flights, and Olivier flew planes in both capacities.

He held a pilot's license in France, Hendrix said. At Crystal Aero, he trained to become a flight instructor.

"This was a mere labor of love for him," said Gudi Lashbrook, a pilot trainer for Crystal Aero, who described Olivier as one of her best students.

Lashbrook said Olivier was neither giving lessons nor shepherding a client when he departed Crystal River Airport 11:40 a.m. Thursday. He rented a plane for $64 an hour bound for Tampa, then Lakeland, with plans to return by 6 p.m.

Officials at the airport weren't sure why he was flying south, other than that he was on business. Lashbrook said he may have been checking planes on behalf of a friend looking to buy one.

Gary Jones, of Jones Aviation, which offers charter flights and lessons, said Olivier stopped by his business at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport Thursday afternoon.

"He stopped in and asked about a Cessna 182 or a Cherokee 235," both small planes, said Jones, whose company sells airplanes.

Olivier and his wife moved to Citrus County from Switzerland in 1981. He had been a marketing manager in Africa for the bus division of the French automobilemaker Renault, Hendrix said.

He was an avid boater and said he frequently sailed the English Channel, said Gil Gonsette, a physical therapist from Crystal River.

In Citrus County, he owned a Century 21 real estate business until recently. Olivier also owned Heath Mini-Storage near Inverness.

In the early 1990s, he led separate groups of investors who purchased and renovated the Masonic Temple and nearby Frisone Building in downtown Inverness, where shops, offices and the Citrus County Commission do business today.

He was involved with the Rotary and Boys and Girls clubs of Inverness. He was considered an active member and was known for a quick quip and his disdain for American football.

Arnold Virgilio and his wife Mary Ann, are close friends with the Oliviers. He said Olivier frequently volunteered for club events, and arrived first to, say, install electrical outlets.

"His last words to me were: "Do you know when Mary Ann needs me for Rotarians for Teachers?' "

Hendrix said he met the Oliviers in 1989, not long after Hendrix married his French wife, Denise. His new bride spoke little English and was lonely for French friends. They went to a French social club in Tampa, picking a big table to see who else sat down. The Oliviers took the bait. Within two weeks they had invited the Hendrixes to dinner.

It would be the first of many gourmet meals prepared by Jacques Olivier: Leek pie, escargot and salmon with mustard sauce were favorites. Olivier prepared his own sauces, shopping at several markets for the exact ingredients.

On one visit, Florida and Florida State were playing a football game. Hendrix insisted on watching. Olivier would have none of it. They were invited to talk and eat, not watch football, Olivier said.

"It was one of the biggest fights we ever had," Hendrix said.

The Oliviers had dual French and United States citizenship and he was at home in both places. They have an adult daughter, Sophie, who graduated from Lecanto High School and now lives in Paris.

Gonsette and Hendrix said the Oliviers were nearing completion of a second home on the Brittany coast of France. Hendrix said Mrs. Olivier told him her husband wished to be buried in the United States.

- Times staff writer Alex Leary contributed to this report.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright