Amtrak derailment victims remembered
PORT RICHMOND (WABC) -- Eight people were killed and hundreds injured in the Amtrak train derailment in Philadelphia. Below is information about the eight who died.
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Justin Zemser
Justin Zemser, a U.S. Naval Academy midshipman, was a humble and respectful rising star who inspired others and "put everyone before himself," mourners said Friday at his funeral.
Commanding officer Captain Brandy Soublet called him "a phenomenal young man" who "just had this quiet strength about him."
"For how talented he was morally, mentally, physically you would never know it," she said. "He was just so humble."
Soublet spoke outside the Boulevard-Riverside-Hewlett Chapel on Long Island, where Zemser's funeral took place. The 20-year-old sophomore was traveling home to New York City when he was killed in Tuesday's accident.
The Naval Academy's superintendent said Zemser was a talented and highly respected young man with a tremendously bright future. The academy released photographs of its flag flying at half-staff Friday morning as the first of 160 of his classmates arrived on Long Island aboard two buses.
He was a member of the Navy sprint football team, the Jewish Midshipman Club and the Semper Fi Society, a Marine Corps club. He was on a break from the U.S. Naval Academy and heading home to Rockaway Beach, where playing high school football helped him and his teammates through the devastation of Superstorm Sandy. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus called Zemser a "crucial member" of the institution.
"He was supposed to come home last night at 10:30," mom Susan Zemser said. "When I went online to see if everything was on time, it said there was a derailment."
It was Navy officers who officially notified the family of their son's death.
"I especially want to convey my condolences to the family of New Yorker Justin Zemser," Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. "I nominated him to the Naval Academy, so I know what a fine young man he was. What a loss for his family and for America."
Before his service, Zemser was a standout student athlete at Beach Channel High School, a varsity football captain, class valedictorian and student government president who recently returned to his alma mater to inspire others.
"He just was a simple guy, a humble guy, a helpful guy," assistant principal Joe Featherston said. "But yet an inspiration to my students in here who needed to be directed in life."
"This tragedy has shocked us all in the worst way," Susan Zemser said. "And we wish to spend this time grieving with our close family and friends."
He was finishing up his second year at the Naval Academy.
"My entire school community is devastated, the community of Rockaway is devastated, the Naval Academy is devastated," biology teacher Andrew Wettstein said. "He was a light."
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Jim Gaines
Jim Gaines, an Associated Press video software architect, was a geek's geek - and his colleagues loved him for it.
The 48-year-old father of two was named the news agency's "Geek of the Month" in May 2012 for his "tireless dedication and contagious passion" to technological innovation.
"At AP, not a frame goes by in the world of video that escapes the passionate scrutiny of video architect Jim Gaines," the award said.
Gaines was in the train's quiet car, headed home to Plainsboro, New Jersey, after meetings Tuesday at the news agency's Washington, D.C., office. His wife, Jacqueline, confirmed his death.
"Jim was more precious to us than we can adequately express," his family said in a statement.
Gaines joined the AP in 1998 and was a key factor in nearly all of the news agency's video initiatives, including the successful rollout of high-definition video and the AP's Video Hub - a service that provides live video to hundreds of clients around the world.
In 2006, Gaines' team won the Chairman's Prize in 2006 for development of the agency's Online Video Network.
Gaines "leaves behind a legacy of professionalism and critical accomplishment, kindness and humor," AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt told employees in an email. "He will be missed."
He is also survived by a 16-year-old son, Oliver, and an 11-year-old daughter, Anushka.
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Abid Gilani
Abid Gilani, 55, was a senior vice president at Wells Fargo based in New York City.
Wells Fargo released a statement saying, "It is with great sadness that Wells Fargo confirms that Abid Gilani, a valued member of our Commercial Real Estate division, has passed away. Our hearts go out to all those impacted by this tragedy."
Before joining Wells Fargo, Gilani had been with Marriott International for eight years.
The company said Gilani, originally from Canada, split his time between Washington and New York. He was a married father of two.
Funeral services were held Sunday at the Islamic Society of East Bay, in Fremont, California, followed by burial at Chapel of the Chimes Memorial in Hayward.
A family friend says Gilani is being buried in California because that's where he had always planned on retiring. He had recently relocated his family there because his children were attending college on the West Coast.
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Rachel Jacobs
Rachel Jacobs' funeral will be Monday in Michigan, but a memorial tribute service was held 11 a.m. Saturday at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion on West Fourth Street in Greenwich Village.
Jacobs, a leader in the increasingly technology-driven worker training and development industry, was commuting home to New York from her new job as CEO of the Philadelphia educational software startup ApprenNet.
The 39-year-old mother of a 2-year-old previously worked at McGraw-Hill, leading the expansion of the company's career-learning business into China, India and the Middle East, and Ascend Learning, another education-technology firm.
Jacobs is the daughter of Gilda Jacobs, a former Michigan state senator and current chief executive of the Michigan League for Public Policy.
The family said in a statement that Rachel Jacobs "was a wonderful mother, daughter, sister, wife and friend" who was devoted to family and social justice.
She was a founder and board chair at Detroit Nation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting startups in her Michigan hometown.
Through the organization, Jacobs helped bring the Detroit Symphony Orchestra to New York for its first concert at Carnegie Hall in 17 years. She attended Swarthmore College and Columbia Business School. She joined ApprenNet in March and had planned on moving to Philadelphia.
In a statement, her family said, "This is an unthinkable tragedy. Rachel was a wonderful mother, daughter, sister, wife and friend. She was devoted to her family, her community and the pursuit of social justice. We cannot imagine life without her. We respectfully ask for privacy so that we can begin the process of grieving."
Jacobs lived on the Lower East Side in Stuyvesant Town.
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Dr. Derrick E. Griffith
Derrick Griffith, a 43-year-old dean of student affairs and enrollment management at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, believed in education - for himself as well as others.
He formerly was a school principal, and in 2003, he founded the City University of New York Preparatory Transitional High School. He also was executive director of Groundwork, Inc., an organization formed to support young people living in poor urban communities.
Griffith joined Medgar Evers College in 2011 as assistant provost. It was the first of a number of roles he would fill at the college, where officials said he urged students to pursue education "with vigor."
In Crown Heights, his mother Carlea mourned her son's death.
"I pushed him so much, because he never wanted to play basketballl," she said. "He never wanted to do any of that. I said, well then go read a book."
And that he did. Griffith went on to get a Masters degree in philosophy and urban history, then his doctorate. Former Schools Chancellor Rudy Crew, now president of Medgar Evers, said education was organic to Griffith.
"Derrick was one of these people who didn't join the field of education, he had the spirit of education in him," he said. "He believed in mentoring...(being a) change agent in someone's life."
A candlelight vigil was held Thursday evening in Brooklyn.
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Bob Gildersleeve
Bob Gildersleeve, of Maryland, was confirmed dead Thursday by his company. He has worked for Ecolab for 22 years and lived near Baltimore.
His funeral will be noon Monday at The Church of St. Catharine, in Holmdel, N.J.
"We have been notified that our associate, Bob Gildersleeve, lost his life in the Amtrak train derailment Tuesday night," Ecolab Chairman and CEO Doug Baker said in a statement. "We are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend and colleague. Bob was with Ecolab for 22 years, most recently as vice president of Corporate Accounts for our Institutional business in North America. Bob was an exceptional leader and was instrumental to our success. We will greatly miss him, and our thoughts go out to his beloved family members and friends."
Gildersleeve's family was in Philadelphia, circulating his photo and information about what he was wearing. He had a ticket for the train that crashed Tuesday, his father said, and relatives had been unable to get information from Amtrak on his whereabouts.
Gildersleeve is married and has two children, ages 16 and 13. His wife, Danna Leiner Gildersleeve, released the following statement:
"He has been my best friend for 29 years, and we just celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary and Mother's Day on Sunday. He is a remarkable dad to our daughter Ryan and son Marc. He is a loving son, brother and is definitely the 'fun' uncle to his nieces and nephews. He is funny and sarcastic and lights up any room with his presence, humor and enthusiasm. He has been a dedicated employee and friend to his Ecolab family for over two decades. Our hearts are broken and we can't imagine a life without him. We will miss him with all our heart."
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Laura Finamore
Laura Finamore's wake was held Saturday and Sunday at the Fairchild Sons Inc. funeral home in in Manhasset. Her funeral is Monday at St. Anastasia Church in Douglaston, N.Y.
The family of 47-year-old Finamore confirmed her death Thursday, describing her as an incredibly loving and giving person who touched many people each and every day through her generous spirit, thoughtfulness and compassion for others.
Finamore was born and raised in Douglaston, and is survived by parents Cynthia and Richard and brothers Michael, Paul and Peter. Her family says it was her loving dedication and loyalty to her family and friends that truly defined her as a person.
"Her favorite role was being an aunt to her seven nieces and nephews, who will all cherish memories of the special times they spent with her," they said in a statement. "Most telling about her commitment to the people in her life were the strong bonds that she kept with her childhood friends, many of whom she had known since elementary school."
Relatives say her 20-year career in corporate real estate was hallmarked by numerous achievements, both personal and professional, and she was known among her peers as someone who would go above and beyond for her clients, to always exceed their expectations.
She joined Cushman and Wakefield in 2008, most recently serving as a Managing Director in the firm's Corporate Occupier and Investor Services group. She also commuted between New York and Los Angeles to lead the transition and transformation of the First American Title Account, and most recently she was managing the North American portfolio for Willis.
Funeral services will be held at Fairchild Sons Inc. in Manhasset. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Laura's name. The family also requests privacy at this time.
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Giuseppe Piras
Giuseppe Piras, a wine and olive oil executive from Sardinia, Italy, was in the United States on business, officials said.
The Italian consulate in Philadelphia confirmed that Piras was among the victims. He was 41.
Piras, who hailed from the town of Ittiri on the Mediterranean island, co-founded an olive oil and wine cooperative and was tasked with marketing its goods for export, according to Italian media.
Consul General Andrea Canepari said his family had contacted consulate officials in the U.S. after they were unable to reach Piras by phone. His death was confirmed to consulate officials Wednesday afternoon.
Canepari says he had spoken to the victim's brother to offer assistance.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
