Niagara winemaker was ‘being a Good Samaritan’ when he was killed by a stranger
Paul Pender was the kind of man who was generous with his time, always willing to share his knowledge and help others.
That remained true in his last moments of the winemaker's life, when the 54-year-old tried to help a stranger at his Lake Erie shoreline cottage. Details about what happened inside the cottage - located on Smelser's Cove Lane, southeast of Selkirk in Haldimand County - are not clear, but somehow the encounter spilled outside and Pender was killed on a neighbour's driveway.
Ontario Provincial Police have charged 31-year-old Bradley House of Hamilton with second-degree murder. He was arrested at the scene on the night of Feb. 3 and remains in custody.
Paul was known for his peaceful nature and his easygoing attitude," reads his obituary. He was someone who always offered a helping hand. In his last moments, Paul was doing just that - being a Good Samaritan, and it is unjust that this led to his death."
His wife, Allison Findlay, also a winemaker in the tight-knit Niagara winery community, was with him when he was killed.
Pender also leaves behind three children, four grandchildren, his parents, siblings, extended family and many friends.
Paul's legacy is love," the obituary says. He was our skinny-dipping, winemaking, bike-riding, deep-talking lover of life. Each time we feel the sun on our faces and the wind in our hair we will think of Paul."
After his death, news spread fast within the wine industry that an intruder who was in distress had arrived at the cottage. Pender tried to help and things went horribly wrong.
OPP have released few details about what happened, but confirmed House and Pender did not know each other. There was more than one crime scene on the street, with Pender found unresponsive outside. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
House, who was injured somehow that night, was arrested on Smelser's Cove Lane with the help of some neighbours. Police are not looking for any other suspects.
Pender was born Christmas Day 1967 and, as a child, his parents took him and his older brother all over the world. As an adult he moved to Niagara and worked for years as a carpenter, until he developed a dust allergy. At 36, he went back to school to study winemaking at Niagara College.
Straight out of school he joined the team at Tawse Winery in Vineland, working with Moray Tawse, and just a year later, in 2006, he became head winemaker: a meteoric rise. He's also the winemaker for sister location Redstone Winery.
Under his leadership, Tawse was named Canadian Winery of the Year four times and Pender was named Winemaker of the Year at the 2011 Ontario Wine Awards.
We will all miss him more than words can express," Tawse said in a statement after Pender's death.
Tributes to the celebrated winemaker have poured in from far and wide.
Paul was a friendly guy, always smiling, and ready to help out," recalled Louise Engel, a co-owner at Featherstone Estate Winery. He didn't have winemaking secrets - if he could help anyone with a problem, he would do it."
Wine writer Carolyn Evans Hammond, who profiled Pender in a piece in the Toronto Star last year, said she is struck and incredibly sad" about the news. He was an amazing winemaker with whom she frequently did wine tastings.
Winemakers at heart are farmers, and Pender fit the look with his pickup truck, his beloved dog Maeve at his side, often sporting jeans and plaid. But more than his image, Hammond said he exuded pure humility."
No matter his success, there was never any pretext with Pender. He wasn't trying to impress anybody," she said. Since his death, she's heard stories about him dropping things at 10 p.m. to go help another winemaker.
In her column last year, Hammond described Pender as an energetic man with salt-and-pepper hair who's quick to smile. And he makes top-notch, terroir-driven wines in Niagara."
One the things she liked best about that piece was how Pender described his drive as a mature student: It really mattered because I had three kids," he said of his need to succeed. With a laugh he added: I'm sure I was one of those really annoying mature students."
As a winemaker, Pender made marvellous chardonnay, Riesling, cabernet franc and pinot noir, Hammond said. She called these wines the flagship varieties in Ontario," and Pender nailed all of them.
But, as his obituary notes, Pender's life was more than winemaking." He also roasted coffee for Hamilton's Vintage Coffee Roasters. He loved camping trips, shared meals, cycling and conquering the Niagara escarpment." In recent years, it was his cottage on the shores of Lake Erie - his favourite place - with Findlay.
The family has set up a memorial group on Facebook - Paul Pender Photo Memorial Group - where people are invited to share pictures and memories. Many are from the cottage.
A memorial service is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 11, at 2 p.m. Due to pandemic restrictions, it is invite-only, but it is expected to be streamed online. In lieu of flowers, the family said it will be setting up a bursary in Pender's name that will be organized at a later date.
Nicole O'Reilly is a crime and justice reporter at The Spectator. noreilly@thespec.com