ST. LOUIS COUNTY – Loved ones are remembering a south St. Louis County couple who died when a duck boat capsized in Table Rock Lake near Branson Thursday.
William Asher "Bill" and Rose Hamann were among the 17 killed.
"Reality hadn't sunk in at that time. I'm still thinking it's a mistake, " close friend to Asher and Hamann Russell McKay said.
For Asher and Hamann’s group of friends, it’s still hard for them to imagine the couple never coming back home.
"They were both outgoing. Always smiling. They were givers, not takers," Rhonda Forbes said.
Russell McKay and his closest friends met Asher and Hamann four years ago at a benefit for veterans. Since then, they have all been inseparable.
"Instead of friends. We're family. We're very very close. We went through a lot together," Forbes said.
McKay and his girlfriend said the couple went to Branson to celebrate Hamann's birthday, which was last Monday.
On Thursday, they heard about the horrible tragedy in Branson that took the life of 17 people.
"It hit like a ton and brick and I thought it was a joke," Forbes said.
After hearing the news, McKay and his girlfriend rushed to Branson in the middle of the night to be in the place where his friends last shared memories together.
"I said Rose needs me. I'm going down, you're not going to stop me," McKay said. “I kept telling my girlfriend on the way down it’s like it wasn't really happening. This is a dream. I’m going to wake up.”
Once McKay arrived in the city, he spotted Asher’s car in a parking lot, where thousands were holding a memorial for the victims.
"Bill's car was covered in flowers and candles," he said.
Back in south St. Louis County, Mckay holds on to Hamann's itinerary. It shows her last words. Friday sits empty.
"Friday, she already had it written, but as you can see nothing," he said.
McKay said he doesn't know how he'll go on without his best friends, but he vows to always keep their memories alive.
"They will never be forgotten," McKay said.
Friends and family plan to hold a balloon in South Saint Louis County at One Eyed Willies on Sunday to remember the couple. It is scheduled to start at 2 p.m.
Funeral plans for Asher have been set for next Friday at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
