Couple Celebrating 50th Anniversary Died in Amtrak Derailment

Donald and Marjorie Varnadoe of St. Simons Island, Ga., were connected a long-awaited cross-country abrogation to observe their 50th wedding day erstwhile the Amtrak bid they were traveling successful derailed successful Montana connected Saturday.

On the aforesaid train, Zachariah Schneider, a machine idiosyncratic from Fairview Heights, Ill., was traveling with his wife, Rebecca, to Portland, Ore., wherever they spent their honeymoon successful 2016.

The Varnadoes and Mr. Schneider died erstwhile 8 of the 10 rider cars connected the Empire Builder bid jumped the tracks. Mr. Schneider was little than 2 months shy of his 5th wedding anniversary.

As investigators continued to probe for a origin of the derailment, relatives and friends struggled with grief implicit 3 lives that ended connected a distant of distant railway adjacent Joplin, Mont.

Donald and Marjorie Varnadoe

Donald Varnadoe, 74, worked successful the existent property concern for 45 years, 24 of them arsenic an subordinate broker with Coldwell Banker Access Realty successful Georgie, successful the metropolis of Brunswick and connected St. Simons Island, a co-worker said.

He was a hard idiosyncratic but was often called upon for his spiritual side, enlisted to accidental prayers during radical lunches and different bureau gatherings successful Brunswick.

Mr. Varnadoe delivered his past supplication with his squad members connected Sept. 21, astatine the extremity of a monthly income gathering and conscionable earlier they ate the brownies that his woman had baked for their lunch.

“He prays for the radical who are sick and passed away,” said Robert Kozlowski, a managing broker who worked with Mr. Varnadoe for 18 years.

“He really said successful his prayer, ‘Life is short,’ and we should archer radical each time however we feel,” helium said successful an interview.

Mr. Varnadoe, who grew up successful Georgia, lived with his wife, Marjorie Pitman Varnadoe, 72, connected St. Simons Island.

The mates moved into their location successful 1976, Mr. Kozlowski said, adding that Mr. Varnadoe liked to remark that “their motortruck pulled into their driveway connected July 4.”

In the weeks starring up to their departure connected the bid trip, Mr. Varnadoe watched videos astir journeys by obstruction and excitedly shared them with his co-workers, saying helium and his woman would beryllium celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

“On his mode out, helium said, ‘This is our travel of a lifetime,’” Mr. Kozlowski said.

As the mates headed westbound from Washington, D.C., astatine the commencement of the travel connected Friday, Mr. Varnadoe called the bureau to archer his colleagues however overmuch amusive they were having, Mr. Kozlowski said.

They had a son, Jason, and a grandson, Parker, and a daughter-in-law, Millie, helium said.

Ms. Varnadoe, a retired educator, was a tireless unpaid for assorted causes, Mr. Kozlowski aboriginal wrote successful a substance message. “Don said she couldn’t accidental no,” helium wrote.

Relatives and friends recalled blessed visits astatine the couple’s home, fishing, playing cards and sharing walks, according to memories posted on an online condolence page.

Ms. Varnadoe was a teacher, principal, unit manager and adjunct superintendent successful the Glynn County, Ga., nationalist schools, The Brunswick News reported. Her hubby served connected the schoolhouse committee for 4 years.

Victoria Hunnicutt, who was successful a doctoral programme with Ms. Varnadoe astatine Georgia Southern University, said they would stitchery astatine the Varnadoes’ location for survey weekends.

“They were specified large hosts, and they ever planned astatine slightest 1 amusive outing truthful we could absorption connected thing too academics,” Ms. Hunnicutt wrote connected the condolence page.

Ms. Varnadoe, she said, was “a existent angel.”

Zach Schneider

Zachariah Schneider, 28, who was known arsenic Zach, met his wife, Rebecca, erstwhile they were students astatine Southern Illinois University successful Carbondale. He was studying machine subject and was a nationalist champion successful collegiate parliamentary debate. Ms. Schneider was studying medicine.

They joined connected Nov. 19, 2016.

A suit that Ms. Schneider filed against Amtrak and BNSF Railway successful U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois connected Tuesday offered details of the beingness the mates shared. It is seeking damages for Ms. Schneider’s injuries, and says Mr. Schneider’s injuries “ultimately caused his tragic and untimely death.”

After graduating successful 2015, Mr. Schneider worked arsenic a bundle developer and technologist for exertion companies, the suit says. Ms. Schneider worked arsenic a doc assistant. They settled successful Fairview Heights, Ill., watching Green Bay Packers connected Sundays.

At 1 crippled successful freezing temperatures, they laughed arsenic they watched his beard frost to his clothing, a connection from Ms. Schneider’s lawyers said.

The mates rescued dogs and fostered kittens. Mr. Schneider besides volunteered astatine a people schoolhouse successful St. Louis, teaching coding to children with constricted entree to machine resources, and coached the statement squad astatine a section university, the filing said.

Mr. Schneider, who grew up successful Great Mills, Md., worked for Senator Bernie Sanders’s statesmanlike run successful 2015 arsenic manager of technology, the connection from the ineligible squad said. On Twitter past year, Mr. Schneider said that helium had built an app to assistance precinct captains study predetermination results. “It’s not rocket science!” he wrote.

On Sept. 24, the mates boarded the bid successful Chicago connected what was meant to beryllium a two-day travel to Portland. They had gone determination connected their honeymoon, enjoyed the metropolis and wanted to spell back, Robert Mongeluzzi, a subordinate of Ms. Schneider’s ineligible team, said successful an interview.

“Trains rule,” Mr. Schneider wrote connected Twitter the time of their departure. “When I americium the president determination volition beryllium truthful galore trains.”

On Sept. 25, Mr. Schneider near his woman to remainder successful the sleeper car, the past connected the train, and went to look astatine the scenery from the train’s viewing car.

It was “the past clip she would spot Zach alive,” the suit says.

In a connection from her ineligible team, Ms. Schneider described her hubby arsenic “precious and loved.”