Mourners hug as they pay their respects at a memorial for the victims of the Pulse gay nightclub shooting in Orlando. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Family and friends are mourning the lost.

For some, the last words they shared with loved ones were frantic texts: “He’s coming, I’m going to die.” For others, there were no last words, only waiting for the dreaded confirmation of an unthinkable reality: that their son, daughter, spouse or partner had been killed in the rain of gunfire at Pulse nightclub, where a gunman killed 49 people in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

Below are glimpses into these lives that were cut short so suddenly in the early hours of June 12. We are updating our list with stories as we learn more about these men and women.

Stanley Almodovar III, 23

Rosalie Ramos prepared cheese and tomato dip for her son to eat after returning from Pulse night club, thinking he might come home hungry.

Stanley Almodovar never came home.

At 2 a.m., Ramos, 51, was awakened by a frantic phone call, urging her to get to the club as quickly as she could. She had hoped that her son’s injuries were minor — but they were not. Almodovar, a pharmacy technician, had been shot three times: in the stomach, head and side.

Almadovar posted a Snapchat video of himself singing and laughing on his way to Pulse nightclub, his mother Rosalie Ramos told the Orlando Sentinel.

“I wish I had that video to remember him forever,” said Ramos.

Amanda Alvear, 25

"If someone is strong enough to bring you down, show them you are strong enough to get up". #findingmynewhappiness#blessed#takingitdaybyday#keepingmystrengthup#hopeful A photo posted by Amanda Alvear (@thisgirl_90) on May 27, 2016 at 9:40am PDT





Amanda Alvear was full of love, her brother Brian Alvear told the Orlando Sentinel.

“She wouldn’t want anyone to spread hate for her,” her brother said. “She’d rather they spread more love, keep friends and family close, and have a good time doing it.”

Alvear loved to have fun and felt that gay clubs provided her with a fun and safe environment to be herself.

Alvear, who had recently undergone gastric bypass surgery and started partaking in daily workouts, loved to post selfies, especially transformation selfies, on Instagram.

Story continues

Oscar A. Aracena-Montero, 26

(Aracena Family/Orlando Sentinel)

Oscar Aracena-Montero returned from a vacation to New York and Canada with his partner, Simon Carrillo, on Saturday, just hours before the shooting at Pulse nightclub, Aracena-Montero’s cousin Yamilka Pimentel told the Orlando Sentinel.

Johanna Bornacelli, a colleague of Carrillo’s, told the Florida-based newspaper that Aracena-Montero and Carrillo were both students at Ana G. Méndez University System, a bilingual college in Orlando.

“Oscar was a very sweet guy. Very sweet to everybody,” Pimentel told the Sentinel. “Every time he met somebody, they would like him a lot. He was the type of guy who goes along with anybody.”

Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33

A native of Puerto Rico, Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33, was a biologics assistant at the OneBlood donation center. The blood bank where Ayala-Ayala worked was flooded with donors on Sunday after the shooting in an effort to respond to blood shortages in the Orlando area. Kelly Gollert, who worked at OneBlood, told People magazine that Ayala-Ayala was a “vibrant” person.

“He was very dedicated to his work and had very high expectations for his team because what we do is in service to patients, and he was very proud of that,” Gollert said. “But he was also a very supportive and loving person.”

Antonio Davon Brown, 29

Antonio Brown, 29, was a captain in the U.S. Army Reserves and a graduate of Florida Army and Military University. A human resources officer at an area home improvement store after a yearlong deployment to Kuwait in 2010 and 2011, he was remembered as humble and disciplined.

“He was a very positive young man,” Lt. Col. Kevin Scott, one of Brown’s ROTC instructors at the university, told the Army Times. “He kept a smile on his face. He was a very positive person with a very good sense of humor. He was willing to work very hard to earn his commission.”

Darryl Roman Burt II, 29

Darryl Burt worked at Keiser University in Jacksonville, Fla., where he was also an active volunteer within the community.

Burt joined the Jacksonville Jaycees, a group dedicated to personal, professional and community improvement, at the end of last year.

“He was personable, social and easygoing,” Shawn DeVries, president of the Jacksonville Jaycees, told the Orlando Sentinel. “Both socially and professionally, he was always interested in making a positive impact on people’s lives and in the community.”

Burt began his managerial career at 18 as a district manager for McDonald’s. He worked his way up the corporate ladder, most recently working as a financial aid officer for Keiser University in Orlando, specializing in working with military veterans.

Angel Luis Candelario-Padro, 28

A native of Guánica, Puerto Rico, Angel Candelario-Padro recently moved from Chicago to Orlando. The 28-year-old had started a new job at the Florida Retina Institute as an ophthalmic technician only days before the shooting. He had previously served in the National Guard and loved music.

“A lot of people know our family in Guánica and are showing a lot of support in this tough time,” his uncle, Efrain Padro, told the Associated Press. “We’re waiting for his body to be brought home. We will welcome him with music.”

Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20

According to his Facebook profile, Luis Capo was a dancer. He danced professionally, but also for fun — his friends recorded Snapchat videos of him dancing at Pulse nightclub late Saturday night, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31





Simon Carrillo’s keen eye for detail was reflected in his leadership style, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

“He was definitely the description of a leader, not a boss,” Amanda Herrera, one of Carrillo’s co-workers at McDonald’s, told the Florida-based newspaper on Monday.

Indeed, Carrillo never forgot an employee’s birthday — he always brought in cakes and photographed the celebration, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Many of Carrillo’s co-workers revered him for his work ethic and money management skills.

Ivonne Irizarry, a general manager at McDonald’s who had once worked with Carrillo, told the Orlando Sentinel that Carrillo was adept at budgeting so that he could travel.

Carrillo and his partner, Oscar A. Aracena-Montero, who also died in the nightclub on Sunday morning, lived together in Kissimmee. The two had just returned from a vacation to the Niagara Falls.

Juan Chavez Martinez, 25

(Facebook)

Martinez, originally from Huichapan, Mexico, lived in Davenport, Fla., but worked in Kissimmee, Fla., as a hotel housekeeping supervisor, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Chavez Martinez, who was identified by authorities as Juan Chevez-Martinez, was one of three Mexican nationals killed early Sunday morning, according to Pedro Rodriguez, a spokesman for the Mexican consulate in Orlando. Rodriguez also said that the Mexican government is working to provide financial assistance to the victims’ families.

In the meantime, Coorin Mata, a friend and co-worker, has set up a GoFundMe, “Funeral Juan Chavez Victima pulse,” to help pay for the cost of sending Martinez’s body back to his family.

Luis Daniel Conde, 39, and Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37

Luis Conde and Juan Rivera were not only partners, but also business partners, co-owning D’Magazine Salon & Spa in Kissimmee for 10 years, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

“They were both exceptional people,” Lynette Conde, Luis’s sister, null