Today we will honor those innocent victims and heroes who lost their lives on September 11th. We will also pray hard for and remember the loved ones left behind. Please take a moment out of your day to be greatful for all you have and tell those close to you how much they mean to you. 
I am posting a special memorial for
Michael L. Hannan one of the victims of the September 11th attacks. I am doing this in coordination with
Project 2,996 a wonderful site I just found out about. I hope next year all 2,996 victims will be assigned.
Michael was 34 years old and working as an Assistant Vice President at Marsh & McLennan Cos. Inc. in World Trade Center, Tower 1, 98th floor the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.
He was described by neighbor and friend Chuck Abar as "the tree trunk and his friends were the branches. His supervisor, Noreen Laplaski, recalled how he fostered camaraderie through his presence and his passionate involvement in a variety of corporate athletics.
His guestbook on
legacy.com shows how years later he is still missed and remembered with smiles and tears.
Please remember Michael's family today. Wife, Andrea, and two young daughters, Rachel, 5 (in 2001), and Alexandra, 22 months (in 2001). "What drove Mike was how much he loved Andrea and the girls," Mr. Abar said.
Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on April 14, 2002.
HANNAN-Michael L. Of Lynbrook, NY, age 34. Tragically at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Dedicated employee of Marsh & McLennan. Beloved husband of Andrea (nee LaMarche). Adored father of Rachel and Alexandra. A cherished son of Barbara and the late Lawrence Hannan. Special grandson of the late John and Grace Hannan and Francis and Irene Hertel. Dear son-in-law of Sabine LaMarche and David LaMarche. Loving brother of Jennifer and Steven Muller, Craig and Kathleen Hannan, and Peter Hannan. Dear brother-in-law of Derek and Melissa LaMarche, Katrina and Richard Sparano and KellyJo LaMarche. Terrific uncle to Danny and Jane Muller and Jack and Margaret LaMarche. Devoted nephew of Dorothy Hertel Ryan, Marion O'Connor, Kathleen Hannan, John and Evie Hannan, Richard and Roberta Hertel, Peter and Lynn Hertel and the late Sr. Anne Hertel, OP. A wonderful and loyal friend to all who knew him. Friends may visit at Donza Funeral Home, 333 Atlantic Avenue, East Rockaway, NY 11518 on Thursday, September 27 and Friday September 28, from 4PM to 9PM. A Memorial Mass celebrating Michael's life will be held on Saturday, September 29, 2001 at 11AM at Our Lady of Peace Church, Lynbrook, NY 11563. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to a fund being established for the benefit of Rachel and Alexandra Hannan, c/o Keith and Monica O'Reilly, 62 Adams Street, East Rockaway, NY 11518; to Our Lady of Peace School, 21 Fowler Avenue, Lynbrook, NY 11563 for a scholarship fund being established in Michael's name.
Paid notice published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on September 26, 2001.
I found this information on the following sites:
cnn.comlegacy.com
Mommy still remembers that day as if it were yesterday. She was at her desk when her boss came out and said "A plane just flew into the World Trade Center." Mommy pulled up cnn.com on her computer and radios came on. They all just thought it was a terrible accident. They then watched in disbelief as the second plane flew into the second tower. Everyone came out of their offices and just stood frozen.
At the time mommy smoked. She remembers at one point going out for a cigarette and a good cry session and looking up at the clear blue sky and being surprised it wasn't dark and bleak. It just felt like it should have been. She always remembers that moment when she thinks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Death leaves a heartache no one can heal,
Love leaves a memory no one can steal.
~Author UnknownMoments of Silence (timeline from
cnn.com archives):
8:45 a.m. (all times are EDT): A hijacked passenger jet, American Airlines Flight 11 out of Boston, Massachusetts, crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center, tearing a gaping hole in the building and setting it afire.
9:03 a.m.: A second hijacked airliner, United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston, crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center and explodes. Both buildings are burning.
9:43 a.m.: American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon, sending up a huge plume of smoke. Evacuation begins immediately.
10:05 a.m.: The south tower of the World Trade Center collapses, plummeting into the streets below. A massive cloud of dust and debris forms and slowly drifts away from the building.
10:10 a.m.: United Airlines Flight 93, also hijacked, crashes in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh.
10:28 a.m.: The World Trade Center's north tower collapses from the top down as if it were being peeled apart, releasing a tremendous cloud of debris and smoke.
