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Mourners gather to pay respects to Fleming family
By Justin Wier
CANFIELD
Memories of the Flem-ing family elicited tears and laughter at a memorial service at Canfield Presbyterian Church.
The Monday service was held to celebrate the lives of John and Suzanne Fleming, and their teenage sons Jack and Andrew. The family was on a plane that went down over Lake Erie on Dec. 29.
A few hundred mourners gathered to remember the family. The high number of people in attendance required the church to set up additional seating outside of the sanctuary. Others stood along a staircase during the service once the additional seating was occupied.
Friends and family delivered eulogies remembering each member of the Fleming family.
John was a “giant of a man,” said Jack Antonucci, chairman of Superior Beverage Group, the company of which John Fleming was president and CEO.
His wife, Suzanne, was “the good one” that her brother Rob Armeni said always put others first, even sharing her Halloween candy with her father when she was a child.
Jack was the best big brother anyone could ask for, said his uncle Jeff Grdic, often serving as the eyes for his younger brother Andrew, who was blind.
And Andrew’s cousin Patrick DePizzo said he possessed a great sense of humor, never letting his physical limitations hold him back.
Everyone recalled a generous and caring family who excelled at the pursuits to which they dedicated themselves.
John Fleming was piloting the Cessna 525 Citation when it disappeared from radar. In addition to the family, their neighbor, Brian Casey, and his 19-year-old daughter, Megan, were on board.
The group was returning to Columbus after a Cleveland Cavaliers game.
John and Suzanne were 1989 graduates of Boardman High School and their families remain in the area.
Search-and-rescue operations have been underway since the plane went missing.
Monday, divers and boat crews found large pieces of debris that may be part of the fuselage.
Cleveland officials said Monday that crews also have found seats that appear to belong to the aircraft.
On Jan. 1, searchers found a bag that belonged to John Fleming in Lake Erie near Cleveland.
On Friday, officials said the medical examiner collected debris for analysis to determine if human remains had been found.
Officials also recovered portions of the tail section of the plane and its voice recorder.
The Army Corps of Engineers used a tug to break ice that had accumulated on the surface of the lake over the weekend.
Cleveland city officials said the large pieces of debris will be brought to the surface, though it remains unclear if the debris is from the corporate jet. They also didn’t give a timetable.
The city officials said they would provide an update when they confirmed the debris was related to the crash and notified the family.