( CNN ) They are being remembered as people who `` meant so much to so many . '' Yvonne Selke and her daughter , Emily , were aboard Germanwings Flight 9525 that crashed Tuesday in the French Alps . They , along with the other 148 people on board that flight , are presumed dead . `` I just keep saying over and over , it 's surreal . You always see these things on the news and you think it 's horrible , but you never know anyone involved , '' said Haley Holmes , a close friend of Emily Selke 's . `` I think what people need to know about them , and what people should know about them , is that they were two -- not two Americans on a plane , not a mother and daughter on a plane -- but Yvonne and Emily -- two amazing , loving people who left behind friends and family who love and miss them a lot , '' Holmes told CNN 's `` Anderson Cooper 360° . '' Emily Selke had belonged to Gamma Sigma Sigma 's Zeta chapter at Drexel University . She was a membership vice president while at the sorority and `` an integral part of our growing chapter , '' according to the chapter 's Facebook page . `` She embodied the spirit of Gamma Sigma Sigma , '' the sorority said . `` As a person and friend , Emily always put others before herself and cared deeply for all those in her life . Emily will be greatly missed by her fellow sisters of Zeta . '' A music industry major , Emily Selke graduated with honors from the Philadelphia university , according to the school . She then went on to work around Washington for Carr Workplaces , a company that offers office space , meeting rooms and virtual offices , company spokesman Robert Beach said . `` We cherished Emily 's work ethic , enthusiasm , humor and overall presence , '' said Beach , calling her `` dedicated , helpful and always willing to go the extra mile . '' `` Her genuine , bright smile and quick wit will be missed , '' he added . Yvonne Selke worked for Booz Allen Hamilton . Betty Thompson , an executive vice president with that consulting firm , described Yvonne as `` a wonderful co-worker and a dedicated employee '' in a statement to The Washington Post . Holmes said Yvonne Selke was `` a lovely spirit to be around , '' fiercely loyal to the people she loved . `` Our entire family is deeply saddened by the losses of Yvonne and Emily Selke . Two wonderful , caring , amazing people who meant so much to so many . At this difficult time we respectfully ask for privacy and your prayers , '' the Selke family said in a statement . State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Wednesday that three Americans were on the plane . The third American was Robert Calvo , according to Desigual , the clothing company for which he worked for in Spain . Students , singers among the victims .
Third passengers killed on Germanwings are identified as ill people . press reports indicate three Americans were on the plane . Co - workers , friends in shock at deaths of mother and daughter from Virginia .