"She was sweet, outgoing, silly and funny," Buhnerkempe said. "She loved her friends and family fiercely. She loved playing soccer, basketball and doing gymnastics."
Alma's younger brother Will has autism, Buhnerkempe added. Alma "loved and supported him the way only a big sister could," she said.
Ainsley's father, Todd Johnson, declined to be interviewed but confirmed her death to NBC News on Tuesday. Her nickname, he said, was "Squirt."The four girls who were killed Monday in a crash at a school camp program in Illinois were identified Tuesday.
Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon identified them in a news release as Rylee Britton, 18; Ainsley Johnson, 8; Alma Buhnerkempe, 7; and Kathryn Corley, 7. They were pronounced dead at the scene, the coroner's office said.
Alma's mother, Billie Buhnerkempe, told NBC News that her daughter was a "ray of sunshine wherever she went."
