Community mourns a loss Assistant chief was leader on the job, in civic service

By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- By all accounts, Bob Magnuson was a man who lived life to the fullest.
"He enjoyed life. He always had a smile on his face, never had a sad day," said Sgt. Cris Ruiz of the Canfield Police Department, who counted Magnuson as both a mentor and a friend.
Sgt. Robert D. Magnuson, 52, a 28-year veteran of the department, died Sunday in a sky-diving accident at the Cleveland Parachute Club, a private airstrip in Parkman Township, Geauga County.
No one from the Canfield Police Department was present when Magnuson and three other sky divers jumped from an airplane at an altitude of 10,000 feet just after 3 p.m.
Sgt. Chuck Colucci said preliminary reports indicated that Magnuson's main parachute opened but the lines apparently tangled, causing him to go into a spin.
He was able to release the main chute and open his reserve, but, by that point, he was too close to the ground to survive the impact, witnesses told police.
A spokesman for the Geauga County Sheriff's Department said the death appeared to be accidental and a formal report would be issued later this week. A coroner's report was to be issued today.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating as well.
Magnuson was a veteran sky diver. It was a sport he took up in 1993 and had been an instructor for two years.
Earned Golden Wings
He'd made well over 1,000 jumps, Colucci said, noting that Magnuson earned his Golden Wings for his 1,000th jump in 2005.
"He had an addiction to sky diving," Colucci said. Magnuson died doing what he loved doing, Colucci said.
"He actually said it calmed him down," Ruiz recalled, noting that he spent a lot of time with Magnuson riding motorcycles and in other pursuits but never joined him in sky diving.
This wasn't Magnuson's first sky-diving mishap.
"He had what he called 'close calls.' He was able to pull out of them," Colucci said.
"He was a very dynamic, personable kind of guy," said Lt. Robin Lees, commander of the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force.
Lees went to school in Austintown with Magnuson, and they entered careers in law enforcement the same year. Magnuson employed that same zest for life in both his professional and private lives, Lees said.
"Bob was on my short list of go-to guys," Lees said, citing Magnuson's national reputation as a police instructor.
"We've lost a great asset," he said.
Praise from mayor
Magnuson was an impressive individual, said Mayor William Kay.
"He could disarm you physically, but he could disarm you with his humor. He had a great sense of humor. He could just walk up and have you laughing in seconds," Kay said.
Magnuson was willing to commit himself to the city and the community at large, Kay said, noting that Magnuson volunteered to serve on the Canfield Fourth of July Committee, a job that took many hours of meetings and planning.
"How do we replace Bob Magnuson? We can't," Kay said.
Flags at the municipal building were lowered to half-staff Monday in his honor.
Magnuson leaves his wife, four children, three sisters and a brother.
"The most important thing with Bob was his family," Colucci said.
He had a boat and loved to take his son fishing. The family also liked to spend time camping, Ruiz said.
He was a leader, both in the police department, where he sought to instill the ideals of duty, honor and commitment, but also in the community, Ruiz said.
He was a "visionary" for the department, Ruiz said, stressing excellence through education and training.
His goal was to get every officer home safely after a shift, Colucci said.
He was an active member of Old North Church of Canfield, served on the Canfield Fair Committee and volunteered his time to teach defensive tactics to women, Ruiz said.
"He had a huge impact on this community. Everybody in this community knew Bob Magnuson," Colucci said.
Magnuson held both bachelor's and master's degrees in criminal justice from Youngstown State University and was a dedicated instructor on police and self-defense matters.
He developed and wrote the Strategies and Tactics of Patrol Stops that gained international recognition and is used as a training tool by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Council.
He joined the Canfield force in 1978, was promoted to sergeant in 1995 and named assistant chief in 2000. He served as commander of the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force from Jan. 1, 2003, to Dec. 31, 2005.
He was named Canfield's Officer of the Year in 1984, Instructor of the Year in 1995 and earned the department's Police Commendation Award in 2005.
Calling hours will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Old North Church, 7105 Herbert Road, where a funeral will be at 11 a.m. Friday. Law enforcement units from a wide area are expected to attend.
A trust fund has been set up in his name for his children, and contributions can be made at any Farmers National Bank office.