"Beverly Eckert, of Stamford, Connecticut, a 9/11 widow, was identified as one of the passengers on the Continental commuter plane that crashed near Buffalo, N.Y., the Associated Press reports. Eckert was heading to Buffalo for a celebration of what would have been her husband’s 58th birthday, said Mary Fetchet, a 9/11 family activist. She also had planned to take part in presentation of a scholarship award at Canisius High School that she established in honor of her late husband, the Buffalo News says.
Fetchet says she learned Eckert was aboard the plane from another close Eckert family friend. Officials investigating the crash have not yet confirmed Eckert was on board the plane.
Eckert was part of a small group of Sept. 11 widows, mothers, and children who became amateur lobbyists, ultimately forcing lawmakers in 2004 to pass sweeping reforms of the U.S. intelligence apparatus."
A "9-11 widow."
For years to come, people who lost loved ones in the 9-11 attacks will also die. Some of them will die tragically, like Beverly Eckert. Some of them will die in obscurity. But, all of them will have that parenthetical label. "9-11 survivor." "9-11 widow." "9-11 widower."
Every time these losses make the news, we will relive that day all over again.
It's very different than saying "former Heisman Trophy winner." Or, "former Presidential candidate." Or, "loving wife."
The intersection of "loving wife" with "9-11 widow" in the story of Beverly Eckert is almost too much to bear. Her recounting of the final minutes of her husband's life in the Tower, along with her witness by phone of his death as the Tower fell, is as heavy as any story we will ever read.
It's Valentine's Day, the day for love stories, fictional and true. This one is true.
Rest in Peace, Sean Rooney and Beverly Eckert.
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