The manager of Mastry's Bar, the iconic drinking spot in downtown St. Petersburg, died Friday morning when a Treasure Island garbage truck backed into him.
Justin Mastry, 44, was walking across Bayshore Drive at 9 a.m. Friday when the garbage truck struck him, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
"Justin was the sweetest person you ever knew," said his great-aunt Marguerite Dawson, 93.
Chester Tunsil II, 37, who was driving the truck, told deputies that he was reversing because he missed a house. He said he didn't see Mastry behind him.
Mastry, who lived nearby on the 8100 block of Bayshore Drive, was pronounced dead at the scene. Sheriff's investigators are looking into the incident, but deputies do not believe alcohol or drugs were a factor.
The city of Treasure Island released a statement late Friday that said the incident is also being investigated by the city and the Florida Highway Patrol.
"On behalf of the city of Treasure Island, we extend our heartfelt condolences to the Mastry family and to all those affected by this tragedy," the statement said.
City officials declined to comment further.
Mastry, who ran Mastry's Bar at 233 Central Ave., was the son of Rick Mastry, the bar's co-owner.
A family friend, Jason Gell, said Justin Mastry loved to fish and was devoted to his wife, Lezley.
"He was a St. Pete guy, and that's kind of hard to explain," Gell said, fighting back tears. "But we fished for tarpon, snapper — and he was good at it."
Gell remembered a 2010 fishing trip when he, Mastry and some friends went on an overnight fishing trip 130 miles out from St. Petersburg. Gell said Mastry was in rehab for a compound fracture of the leg.
"He came out with us anyway," Gell said, "and we got into a school of sailfish we saw and he ended up catching one."
He added: "He was just a good guy taken way too soon."
Times senior news researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report. Contact Jack Suntrup at jsuntrup@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8092. Follow @JackSuntrup.