Mourners gathered in Queens and northern New Jersey Monday for the funerals of two of the eight people killed when an Amtrak train bound for New York City derailed in Philadelphia last week.
Funeral Masses were held for for Laura Finamore, 47, and Bob Gildersleeve, 45, on Monday morning.
Services for Finamore, who was raised in Queens but lived in Manhattan, were held at St. Anastasia Roman Catholic Church in Little Neck.
Gildersleeve, who lived in Baltimore but according to the Asbury Park Press is originally from Middletown, New Jersey, was eulogized at the Roman Catholic Church of St. Catherine in Holmdel.
Finamore sent a text to her mother that she was boarding the train. When her family saw news of the crash around midnight Tuesday, they began calling hospitals searching for her. They were notified Wednesday that one of the victims matched her description, but dental records were needed to confirm it.
She had been returning to New York from a memorial service for a friend's mother, a spokesman for her family said.
Peter Finamore, her brother, gave the eulogy and said the letters of her first name stood for "loving," ''aunt," ''unselfish," ''real" and "awesome," according to the New York Daily News.
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"For you young women and girls, you should always remember your aunt and honor her memory and try to aspire to be strong like her," he said.
Gildersleeve, 45, was a food safety executive who lived near Baltimore and formerly lived in New Jersey. His 16-year-old daughter, Ryan, said she loved her father "more than words" and that she felt lucky to have traveled the world with him, NJ.com reported.
His 13-year-old son, Marc, said writing the letter was the hardest thing he ever had to write, but that it was easy to remember the memories they made together.
"Thank you for teaching me how to be a leader and how to take care of others," he said. "When I was little and you were leaving for a business trip, you would tell me that I was of the 'man of the house.' But I would always say that I'm the man 'in' the house. I will continue to be the man of the house and will take care of your girls."
Finamore's family said in a statement her smile and laugh will be missed.
"Laura's smile could light up a room and her infectious laughter will be remembered by many for years to come," they said. "She was always there when you needed her — with a hug, encouraging words or a pat on the back."
Finamore was a senior account director at Cushman & Wakefield, a commercial real estate firm. She went to Cardozo High School in Bayside and then George Washington University.
Finamore is survived by her parents and three brothers.
Besides his children, Gildersleeve is also survived by his wife of 18 years.
