"My son is days apart from Archie and my daughter is days apart from Ivy too," Collins said.
Collins, who lives in Tauranga, hadn't met her friend's husband, but said she had heard a lot about him after talking to Michelle nearly every day for two years.
She had gone on trips with Michelle while Scott looked after the kids, she said, and had heard he was a "down to Earth, really easygoing guy".
"He was a hunter, a farmer. He is loved by so many people - at the funeral there were so many people who had stories."
The loss had left a chasm for Michelle and Archie, Collins said, who seemed to know full well what was going on.
"He's broken, the whole family is."
Collins said the Beals had met at school, then drifted apart before reuniting some years later through Facebook.
"Then they got married in 2015. It's a pretty cool story," she said.
The loss had caused financial difficulties for Michelle and she had already started selling livestock on the farm where she and Beal lived.
Her friend had set up a Givealittle page for the family, which Collins hoped would raise money to help pay for Beal's funeral.
Kawhia School had posted a tribute to their former student online, remembering him as a "dearly loved" husband, father, son and brother.
"Our sincere condolences go out to his family," the post said.
Police said it was unclear how the accident happened, but said the Serious Crash Unit would be investigating.
