Assistant editor and columnist Rob Hiaasen, 59, was identified among the five victims of Thursday's deadly attack on the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland.
Special publications editor Wendi Winters, writer John McNamara, editorial page editor Gerald Fischman and sales assistant Rebecca Smith also died after a gunman opened fire on the newsroom.
Rob Hiaasen
Rob Hiaasen's brother, novelist Carl Hiaasen, announced his death on Facebook Thursday evening.
"We called him Big Rob because he was so tall, but it was his remarkable heart and humor that made him larger than all of us," Carl Hiaasen wrote. "Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers tonight. Hug your loved ones like there's no tomorrow."
Rob was a "gentle, generous and gifted guy," Carl Hiaasen, who is the author of more than 20 crime fiction books, told the Washington Post in a phone interview.
The two notable journalists began their careers in their native state of Florida.
Rob Hiaasen lived in Timonium, Maryland, and had recently celebrated his 33rd wedding anniversary with Maria Hiaasen, a former journalist who teaches English at Dulaney High School, according to a Facebook post by The Baltimore Sun.
The Sun reports Rob Hiaasen wrote a Sunday column for the Gazette and was drawn to quirky stories, often writing imagined dialogues.
"First, leveled at me have been longstanding accusations that I'm a romantic and sentimentalist (guilty, guilty)," he wrote in a February column. "So what if I can't pass a missing cat/but mainly missing dog poster and not blink? So what if I always stop in my tracks and spin stories for missing cats but mainly dogs?"
He was a staff reporter for The Baltimore Sun for 15 years. He also played third base on The Sun's softball team.
Before the Sun, he worked at The Palm Beach Post and at news-talk radio stations throughout the South.
His last tweet was around 1 p.m. Thursday, when he cited the newspaper’s story about a former combat medic who died earlier this week in a paddle boarding accident.
“Former combat medic who died paddle boarding near Annapolis known as a fierce competitor,” Rob Hiaasen wrote.
Hiaasen worked Tuesday’s election night coverage at the paper and was lauded by one of his colleagues for ordering pizza for the staff during the busy evening.
Wendi Winters
The 65-year-old built a solid reputation covering all sorts of news at the Capital Gazette, according to The Baltimore Sun.
“My mother was a wonderful woman and a fantastic reporter,” her daughter Winters Geimer said. “Her life was a gift to everyone who knew her and the world will not be the same without her. We are grieving and trying to make sure all of us can be together to celebrate the life of our mother.”
Winters said on her Facebook profile that she is from Manhattan and studied fashion design at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Winters, a mother of four, moved to Maryland 20 years ago from New York City where she worked in fashion and public relations, and became a prolific freelance reporter, the Baltimore Sun reported. She became a full-time staff member at the Capital Gazette in May 2013.
Former Capital Gazette community news editor Leslie Hunt told the Baltimore Sun that Winters was talented in connecting with people, and documenting achievements and important events.
Winters was "dedicated and loved the work,” Hunt said. “She loves the news business.”
John McNamara
McNamara, 56, loved covering sports for the Gazette. "Mac" was known for his extensive knowledge of regional sports and political one-liners. He was a published author, curious reporter and kind colleague.
Capital Gazette sports editor Gerry Jackson, who hired McNamara nearly 24 years ago, told the Sun that McNamara “was just a jack of all trades and a fantastic person.”
He had recently returned to covering news as an editor and reporter at the Bowie Blade-News and the Crofton-West County Gazette, according to the Sun. But his social media posts show that sports held a special place in his heart.
McNamara, who went by “Mac,” was remembered by his colleagues for his flexibility, concise writing and extensive knowledge of regional sports. He had a razor wit that came in bursts like a social media post, one fellow reporter said.
Jeff Barker, a Baltimore Sun reporter who covered University of Maryland sports at the same time as McNamara, said he was appropriately skeptical of the coaches and other authority figures he covered.
“That was the journalist in him,” Barker said told the paper. “But he was a loyal friend with an infectious laugh, and he was a willing mentor for young journalists.”
McNamara enjoyed playing sports as much as he enjoyed writing about them, Jackson said. He was one of a group who played basketball on Thursdays at the Annapolis Recreation Center.
“He had this sneaky left-handed shot,” said Jackson, now an editor at The Baltimore Sun.
McNamara also worked at The Herald-Mail in Hagerstown.
Gerald Fischman
Fischman, 61, was the longtime conscience and voice of the news organization, writing "scathing, insightful and always exacting editorials about the community," The Sun reported. He worked at the Annapolis news organization more than 25 years and was honored annually with regional writing awards. He was known as a loner with a brilliant mind.
“He had ability that, I thought, deserved a higher calling than The Capital,” longtime editor and publisher Tom Marquardt told The Sun.
Steve Gunn, a former editor at the paper, described Fischman as “the master of AP style” who “made sure everything was just right.”
“He was famous for working long days and being very precise in his language and always making sure the editorial page reflected the heart of the newspaper,” Gunn told AP.
Reporters and others who knew Fischman told the Baltimore Sun he was quirky, smart and capable of putting local politicians on guard.
“When I sat for my endorsement interviews in 2010, he made it clear to me it was to be earned and by no means was guaranteed,” former two-term Anne Arundel County Councilman Jamie Benoit told the newspaper. “He asked tough questions and exposed every weakness in my legislative record. He treated council races like they were presidential races.”
Fischman married late in life to an opera singer from Mongolia.
Rebecca Smith
The sales assistant was a recent hire at the newspaper. The 34-year-old joined the Capital Gazette after working in marketing for a health care organization, according to the Sun. She grew up in the Baltimore area and lived in eastern Baltimore County with her fiancé, who has a daughter. On Facebook, Smith described herself as a survivor of endometriosis, a dog mom, engaged and a “bonus mom to the best kid ever.”
"She was the absolute most beautiful person," friend Kelli Peleska told the Sun. "The biggest heart and a great loss to this world."
Her boss, Capital Gazette advertising director Marty Padden, told the paper she made sure the sales office ran smoothly.
“She was a very thoughtful person,” Padden said. “She was kind and considerate, and willing to help when needed. She seemed to really enjoy to be working in the media business.”
Padden said Smith joined the Capital Gazette after working in marketing for a health care organization. She grew up in the Baltimore area and once told Padden she was a “first-class” field hockey player in high school.
Smith lived in eastern Baltimore County with her fiancé and was very close with her fiance’s daughter from a previous relationship, Peleksa said.
The girl “totally idolized Becca,” she said. “They had such an amazing relationship. Can’t even imagine her pain when she hears of this.”
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