SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (WHDH) — A Massachusetts woman was among the dozens killed after a diving boat caught fire off the coast of Southern California over the Labor Day weekend.
Friends from coast to coast said they are heartbroken following the death of Marybeth Guiney. Loved ones said she touched people’s lives everywhere she went.
“She gave off a remarkably positive energy,” friend Joel Stein said. “You just couldn’t help but want to be around her because she just sort of radiated it.”
Stein said Guiney loved life and lived it to the fullest.
“In a word, she was alive,” he said. “She had a zest for experiencing the world around her.”
Friends remembered Guiney’s passion for the ocean, it’s wildlife and diving.
She also devoted her time to bay clean up organizations, many of which took to social media to express their sympathies and share memories.
Many of those posts describe Guiney as having an infectious smile and laugh.
“She was a beautiful woman, she was a beautiful person,” Stein said.
Guiney worked for the New England Patriots before moving to California, where she made her home for several years.
“The New England Patriots organization is deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death of Marybeth Guiney,” a spokesperson for the team said in a statement. “We send our sincerest sympathies to her family and all who mourn Marybeth’s loss.”
Guiney posted to Facebook before taking off on the diving trip. She ended that post by wishing her friends, “peace and love,” a sentiment her friends said embodied her.
“I try to look at these things and remember the sweetness that someone gave me,” Stein said. “I think Marybeth had that in abundance.”
Thirty-four people are presumed dead after the scuba diving boat became fully engulfed while they were sleeping below deck early Monday morning.
Responders are still working to recover the bodies of several victims.
One person remains missing at this time.
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