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Friends and family gather at Sherwood Island State Park to remember Connecticut's 9/11 victims

At the state park in Westport, the names of all 161 Connecticut residents who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks are engraved.

WESTPORT, Conn. — At Sherwood Island State Park in Westport, the names of all 161 Connecticut residents who lost their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks are engraved. 

An annual ceremony was held at the state park on Thursday to remember the lives that were lost and the names that are marked there - names like Thomas Theurkauf. His sister spoke during Thursday's ceremony. 

"My brother was a funny, very smart guy. He was an executive. He had just been named the top bank analyst by the Wall Street Journal that summer that he was killed," Barbara Theurkauf said. 

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Barbara said she attends the ceremony each year in honor of her brother Thomas. She recounted that tragic day nearly 23 years ago. 

"We didn't know for days," Barbara said. "It took us three our four days to reach an agreement that he had died and then to tell my parents that was in fact the case." 

More than remembering the way Thomas died, Barbara says the Theurkauf family remembers the way he lived. 

"We will just reference him like anyone else in the family, like he is still around, because you just want to keep him alive but without dwelling on what had happened," Barbara said. 

As the sun sets on another year, these 161 individuals may be gone, but they are never forgotten. 

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Alexa Farrell is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at afarrell@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram

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