The president of the Buffalo Common Council joins the list of many mourning the death of prominent Buffalo developer Mark Croce.
However, Darius Pridgen couldn't emphasize enough how much Croce loved his wife and two children.
"Mark was a family man, he loved his children, he loved his wife. A lot of people don't realize that about him because he worked so hard of the love he had for his family," Pridgen said.
Pridgen shared pictures with 2 On Your Side taken a few months ago when he and his son went for a ride in Croce's helicopter.
"He called, and again he just wanted to go up, wanted to take my son up, and so we met him right on East Ferry. He landed the helicopter right in the parking lot, and we went up and went over Buffalo and went to Niagara Falls.
"People were pulling up when he landed on the East Side and he didn't care, he wanted them to see it. He was just very very open with what he had and wanting other people to experience it."
When it comes to legacy, Pridgen said there is no doubt in his mind that whatever Croce, 58, wanted to see happen will continue.
"The legacy and his dreams will continue to move forward," he said.
A ribbon-cutting is planned for the old C.W. Miller Livery Stable, which will be a second location for the Emerson School of Hospitality.
"Statler is still going to move forward," Pridgen said.
Croce and a friend, Orchard Park businessman Michael Capriotto, 63, were killed in central Pennsylvania when Croce's helicopter crashed while they were flying home Thursday evening.
Pridgen said, "the legacy for me when it comes to Mark Croce is definitely his belief in Buffalo, when Buffalo was not believing in itself. He could see diamonds in the rough where other people just saw rough."
A private funeral is planned for Croce and a public memorial will be held at a later date.
Services for Michael Capriotto will be held on January 20 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Orchard Park.