Friends described the Arizona couple – Joshua Laroy Greenway, 35, and Amber Kory Stephens, 34 – as deeply creative and selfless. Photo / GoFundMe
Friends described the Arizona couple – Joshua Laroy Greenway, 35, and Amber Kory Stephens, 34 – as deeply creative and selfless. Photo / GoFundMe
A US couple killed in a Waikato crash earlier this month are being remembered as “incredible people” who impacted the “hearts of so many”.
Joshua Laroy Greenway, 35, and Amber Kory Stephens, 34, died on October 15 after a two-vehicle crash on State Highway 1 near Tīrau, close to theintersection with Horahora Rd at Piarere.
Greenway, a stand-up comedian and improv performer from Arizona’s Phoenix Valley, was widely connected to the city’s creative community.
The Phoenix-based Gnome Enclosure improv team wrote in an online tribute that his humour “could lift any mood” and described him as “the kind of friend who made people feel seen and cared for”.
“He cared passionately about his friends, his creative projects, and most of all, about Amber.
“The love they shared was clear to anyone who saw them together, and our hearts break for the loss of them both.”
Joshua Greenway and Amber Stephens died in a two-car crash near Piarere on October 15. Photo / GoFundMe
In a Gofundme page set up to support the couple’s US-based families with funeral costs and their repatriation, a friend said Greenway had “impacted so many people in the places he’s lived, leaving a lasting impact on anyone fortunate enough to have spent any amount of time with him”.
Stephens was remembered as “a beautiful soul who saw so much beauty in so many small things”.
“She was inspired, creative, kind, and generous with both her time and finances. She went out of her way to help others, and anyone who met her will not soon forget the impression she made,” they wrote.
“These incredible people will be remembered for their impacts on the hearts of so many, and their legacy will last a lifetime.”
Emmy-winning comedic writer and director Kyle Anderson reflected on his friendship with Greenway in an extensive farewell message, saying he “was a true artist in the most honest sense” who was “constantly creating”.
“Joshua was gentle, funny, thoughtful, smart, cutting, snarky, and always genuinely happy to see you. There was warmth to him and his art that made every room he sang in feel better,” Anderson wrote.
Taupō road policing Sergeant Shane McNally said police were seeking the public’s help as the investigation into the crash continued.
“We would like to speak with anyone that may have witnessed unusual or poor driving behaviour that involved a grey SUV or small silver hatchback, in and around the Piarere area on Wednesday, October 15.
“Specifically, the driver of a large truck which was turning into Horahora Rd from State Highway 1 just before the crash that occurred at 7.44pm,” McNally said.
“We’re also seeking information from the driver of a black car that was heading south on State Highway 1 at the time of the crash, and may have seen the silver hatchback behind them or attempting to pass.”
If you have information or are the driver of either the truck or black car, contact police immediately on 105, quoting file number: 251016/7055.
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