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 the intersection 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.”

Today, police said they were thinking of Greenway and Stephens’ families and friends as they navigated this difficult period.

Three others were seriously injured in the crash, and inquiries are ongoing.

Police earlier appealed for any information from those who may have witnessed or captured the crash in dashcam footage.

They are interested in speaking to anyone who may have seen poor or abnormal driving behaviour from those in a grey SUV or silver hatchback in the area on October 12.