RYAN Messenger was a newly married ‘‘lovable larrikin’’ who was planning to take his adored wife to Thailand when his life was tragically cut short in a workplace accident.

The popular 25-year-old’s family and friends, who only attended his wedding in February, are devastated to learn he died on Tuesday after an excavator rolled down an embankment at Hunter Quarries in Karuah.

Mr Messenger’s wife Alexandra, 23, and other relatives were still at the quarry late yesterday afternoon waiting for his body to be recovered and are likely to return this morning.

David Delaney met Mr Messenger in about year 7 at Irrawang High and was one of his groomsmen.

‘‘We were inseparable growing up – he truly was like a brother to me and his family are like my own,’’ he told the Newcastle Herald.

‘‘He was always well respected from all who knew him. It’s like a boy becoming a soldier – he loved to have a great time with mates, but he was a loving husband first who looked after his family.

‘‘Ryan is just one of those people that you wanted to be around. His personality is one of a kind ... he was a very positive person with a beautiful smile – a real breath of fresh air to those who knew him.’’

Alexandra’s grandmother Patsy Boots said she still couldn’t comprehend the loss of the young man she loved like a grandson.

‘‘He was family, a lovable larrikin,’’ she said.

‘‘It’s unbelievable – I feel terrible and it really hasn’t sunk in yet.’’

Mrs Boots said Mr Messenger had asked Alexandra’s parents in 2012 for permission to marry their daughter and he later proposed in Paris. The couple had been together since Alexandra, a nurse at John Hunter Hospital, was 18.

‘‘They idolised one another and did everything together,’’ Mrs Boots said.

‘‘They had a fairytale wedding at St Brigid’s Church [in Raymond Terrace] and then a reception at Noah’s On The Beach – it was absolutely beautiful.’’

The couple moved in to their newly built Raymond Terrace home two weeks after returning from their honeymoon to the United States.

Mr Messenger had spent the past weekend in Queensland for a bucks night, with the couple planning to travel to Thailand next month to celebrate their friends’ nuptials.

‘‘They were just starting their life together,’’ Mrs Boots said.

‘‘Alex’s parents treated him like a son and her two younger brothers treated him like a brother.’’