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A weightlifter with a heart of gold. A teacher who wanted a better life for her students. The newlyweds who held the world in their hands. They are part of the 20 dead in Saturday's limousine accident in upstate New York State.
The group included four sisters, two brothers and several longtime friends who had gathered to celebrate a birthday party.
What do we know about the victims identified so far:
AMY AND AXEL STEENBURG
The limousine that crashed Saturday went to a Cooperstown brewery in New York City to celebrate Amy Steenburg's 30th birthday. Amy and Axel were married in June and had traveled a lot in recent months, according to their Facebook pages.
Amy, a nurse, was one of four sisters killed in the accident.
The couple lived in Amsterdam with their dog.
In her latest post on Facebook, Amy wrote that she loved her husband "more than words can say".
"You are such an incredible man and you talk all my crazy ideas," she wrote. "Even when I move a couch just to bring it back to the place of origin."
RICH STEENBURG
Steenburg died with his brother, Axel.
He worked for GlobalFoundries, a semiconductor and semiconductor manufacturing company.
The New York Times reported that a 10-year-old girl and a 14-year-old son-in-law survived her.
"The entire GF community is extremely saddened by this incident and we are working closely with families to provide full support," said Laura Kelly, the company's vice president of global communications, in a statement.
MATTHEW COONS AND SAVANNAH DEVONNE
Coons, of Johnstown, was a weightlifter aficionado described by relatives as a gentleman with a dry mind.
"He had a huge heart, a heart of gold," said his aunt Suzanne Douglass. "He made you laugh so much until you cried."
Coons lived with Devonne, his girlfriend, and a sister who has two daughters, her nieces.
"He will be sadly missed by his sister and children," Douglass said. "He made their life very joyful with his very sweet character, he also financially supported the household and was also a father figure for his much younger brother."
AMANDA HALSE AND PATRICK CUSHING
Halse, a 26-year-old waitress in Watervliet, was in the limousine with Cushing, her boyfriend, who worked at the New York State Senate's Technology Office.
Senate leader John Flanagan described Cushing Monday as an "extraordinary" employee and a "wonderful young man".
Known as "Cush", Cushing also played for Team USA Dodgeball. "Cushing's unconditional kindness and his ability to make friends of his fiercest competitors have made him an accomplished sportsman that all hunter ball players strive to become," wrote his team in a Facebook message .
Halse 's sister, Karina, who visited the crash site on Monday, said that Cushing and Halse looked like "two peas in a pod".
"My sister was a very strong and independent person," Karina Halse said. "She did not like others doing things for her, she would start things."
"I have the impression that my heart is submerged – it's in a place where I've never felt that kind of pain before," said Karina Halse. The sisters had texted on Saturday while Amanda Halse was riding in the limousine to get to the birthday party. Before Amanda Halse received her sister's answer, she died in the accident.
MARY AND ROB DYSON
Mary Dyson died in Saturday's accident with her husband, Rob. She was one of the four sisters killed.
The Dyson lived in Watertown, New York, where Mary worked as an engineer and coach at Star Spangled Crossfit, who devoted a training session to her on Monday.
An Army veteran, Mary Dyson, worked for Upstate Construction Services and was vice president of the Theta Phi Alpha Sorority when she was a student at Clarkson University, according to WWNY-TV.
ABIGAIL AND ADAM JACKSON
The Jacksons left behind their two daughters, Archer and Elle, aged 4 and 1. Abby Jackson, as she was called, was working as a teacher in the Greater Amsterdam School District, said her aunt Barbara Douglas of Dannemora.
She became a teacher because she loved working with children, told the Times Union Rich Peters, president of the Amsterdam Teachers Association. "She wanted to help them improve their lives," he said.
Adam Jackson has worked as deputy commissioner on the Montgomery County Election Council, according to his Facebook page. Abigail was among the four sisters killed.
ALLISON KING
King was killed in the accident with his three sisters. A Facebook fundraiser created for her parents, Tom and Linda King, raised more than $ 132,000 on Monday night.
ERIN AND SHANE MCGOWAN
Erin, 34, and Shane, 30, were married in June in upstate New York. Erin McGowan has worked as Administrative Assistant at St. Mary's Healthcare in Amsterdam.
She was considering returning to school to become a billing administrator, said her aunt, Valerie Abeling.
"They had everything for them," said Abeling. "It was a beautiful and sweet soul.He was too.They were very kind."
"They were two very young and beautiful people," Abeling said. "Everyone involved was horrible – our lives were changed forever."
"You always hope to find the love of your life, that's what you hope for and dream of, and they ended up," said Erin McGowan's Uncle Anthony Vertucci at The Times Union. "They had big plans."
AMANDA RIVENBURG
Amanda Rivenburg was close to her parents and her friends and coworkers remembered her sense of humor. She has worked for seven years for Living Resources, a New York-based non-profit organization that works with people with disabilities, as Assistant Director of the Opportunity Program for the Organization's Day Community. .
His colleagues gathered at work Monday to share stories about Rivenburg, a meeting that caused both tears and laughter.
"All of her colleagues loved Amanda," said Steve Klein, associate executive director of the company's program services. "She was passionate about her work and everyone was counting on her to be guided."
SCOTT LISINICCHIA
Friends and family members identified Lisinicchia as the driver of the limo on social media. His wife, Kim, wrote on Facebook that "it hurts me deeply to have to bury my husband". She has teamed up with a GoFundMe who has stated that Lisinicchia's family "appreciate the love and support she is showing for coping with her latest unexpected expenses".
"The investigation is still going on and the facts are not verified," wrote his niece, Courtney Lisinicchia, on Facebook.
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