GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) — The pilot killed in a small plane crash near Denver was a veterinarian and a former search and rescue volunteer.
Sixty-seven-year-old Robert D. Marquis was killed Friday night in a crash that happened soon after his Cirrus SR-22 took off from Centennial Airport.
The Daily Sentinel reports that he opened Tiara Rado Animal Hospital in Grand Junction in 1983.
He served on the Mesa County Search and Rescue Team for nearly four years. Team member Doug Sieckert says Marquis never backed down from difficult missions and had a "passionate heart" for helping the community.
Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the crash. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor says Marquis indicated that he wanted to return to the airport soon after takeoff but he didn't say why.
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Information from: The Daily Sentinel, http://www.gjsentinel.com
