WESTPORT, Conn. — Family and friends gathered at the Sherwood Island Memorial to honor the lives lost in the 9/11 attacks.
20 years later, the pain still remains, but the memory of loved ones is kept alive through acts of service, daily reminders and annual ceremonies like the one held Thursday evening.
161 Connecticut lives were lost in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Their names were read aloud at the ceremony.
“It was 2 o’clock at home, I got the call that my sister was definitely on that flight,” said Elizabeth Bullis-Wiese who lost her sister, Dianne Bullis-Snyder, on 9/11. “I burst into tears. I just lost it.”
Dianne, originally from Madison, was a flight attendant on the first plane that went into the World Trade Center. She never returned home, but Elizabeth says she sees Dianne in her children and in fond memories.
“She just had a lot of charisma. She could be very light and uplifting,” Elizabeth said. “She was like a ribbon through our whole life.”
Nearly 3,000 lives were lost on September 11, but the impacts extend far beyond.
Julia Pyrlik came all the way to Westport from Duluth, Minnesota to honor the youngest Connecticut life lost in the attacks, 2-year-old Christine Lee Hanson, and her parents.
“I came across their names in an 8th grade research project,” Pyrlik said. “Everyone deserves to be remembered.”
Their names live on in the hearts and minds of those who cared for them and are also memorialized on plaques at Sherwood Island.
“To all of those who have loved and lost someone on that terrible day, our hearts our thoughts, our prayers are with you,” Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said.
The memorial is open for visitors to see from 8 a.m. to sunset everyday at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport.
Elisha Machado is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at emachado@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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