A special tribute to a special soul

Omar Maxwell Webber was born on 27 August 1987 in Kingston, Jamaica. He was the first child of Jacob Webber and Deana Goslin and the older brother of Andre, Brianna, Shavel, and Sasha.

From an early age it was evident that Omar was destined for greatness. He was focused, self-driven humble, respectful, and most of all loving and caring.  He spent his formative years in Jamaica, before migrating to the United States in 2002 while in his early teens.  Omar attended Evander Childs High School where he excelled in various athletic programmes such as swimming and track and field. Given his natural athletic abilities, he quickly became the team captain where his inherent gift as a natural-born leader became apparent. He also demonstrated academic excellence as an honour roll student and recipient of the Dean’s list award. Furthermore, as a teenager, Omar balanced being a full-time student along with working as a lifeguard at Orchard Beach in the Bronx, New York.

After graduating from Evander Child High School in 2005, Omar attended the New York City College of Technology where he obtained an Associates of Applied Science degree in 2011, with the intention of becoming a pharmacist. However, his dream of being a pilot like his father was his lifelong passion. As a five-year-old boy, he often chased after airplanes passing in the sky as he pointed to them and shouted, “that’s my daddy’s plane!” Pursuing a career as a pilot, Omar attended Vaughn College in 2014 where he earned a bachelor’s degree in aviation. He also mentored several of his peers, ensuring their complete comprehension of the training materials as he guided them through the aviation courses.

In 2015, Omar began his flight training at the Heritage Flight Academy in Ronkonkoma, New York where he acquired his commercial pilot certificate. Shortly thereafter, Omar became a member of the Farmingdale New York-based flight club, “Positive Gear Up”, which introduced him to a group of like-minded ambitious and dedicated pilots. Together, they worked in tandem to accumulate the required amount of flight hours needed to advance through the pilot rankings. This included several roundtrip flights between New York and Florida which Omar leveraged as an opportunity to build camaraderie with his peers, many of whom eventually became his closest friends over the years.

Following his graduation from Vaughn College in 2016, Omar secured a job with Tradewinds Aviation where he received training on the Pilatus PC-12, an aircraft widely recognized for its outstanding versatility, reliability, performance, and operational flexibility. In just nine months, Omar was promoted to captain on the PC-12. In the same year, he married his high school sweetheart, Tina Webber, and welcomed his son Avion, aptly named after his father’s love of aviation. According to Omar, “my son brought a lot of good luck in my life.” Omar’s love for his family was immeasurable. They were often his trusted copilots as they flew around the world, experiencing exhilarating adventures of a lifetime.

Over the next five years, Omar would live out his dream of being a professional pilot, a loving father and husband, and the life of the party in every social setting. Omar is survived by his wife and son, Tina and Avion Webber, his parents Jacob Webber and Goslin; sibling Andre, Brianna, Shavel and Sasha.

Omar was truly an inspiration to everyone around him. He has touched every one of us and has left us with memories that we will cherish forever. Rest on dear friend, Rest on!

Subrina Hall-Azih is a Trinidadian Educator residing in New York.