St. Viator Remembers Alumna Killed On 9/11 As Class Marks 50th Reunion

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — On the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Saint Viator High School community is remembering one of its own.

The school on Friday honored Mary Lenz Wieman, a 1976 graduate of Sacred Heart of Mary High School, who died in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

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In a social media post, Saint Viator said Wieman remains an important part of its alumni community, and this year's remembrance carries added significance because her Class of 1976 is preparing to gather this weekend for its 50th reunion.

"Twenty-five years later, Mary remains part of the class and community that continue to remember her," the school said.

Students, faculty and staff were scheduled to honor Wieman and all those who died in the attacks through prayer and a moment of silence.

The school has continued to remember Wieman in the years since 9/11.

In a remembrance shared by Saint Viator in 2024, school officials said Wieman was believed to be the only alumnus from the Saint Viator/Sacred Heart of Mary Alumni Association who died in the attacks.

Wieman was a marketing executive with Aon Corp. and was preparing to lead a meeting on the 105th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center that morning, according to an account previously shared by the school.

After an evacuation order was issued, Wieman and coworkers made their way down to the 78th floor, the school said. They then chose to take an elevator for the remainder of the trip. It was the last time she was seen.

Classmates Keep Her Memory Alive

Saint Viator has also highlighted how Wieman's classmates have stayed connected with her family decades after her death.

In the school's 2024 remembrance, seven members of the Class of 1976 visited Wieman's parents, Lionel and Marianne Lenz, ahead of the Sept. 11 anniversary.

The classmates included Mary Pat Sweeney Barmantje, Mary Jeanne Cole Fitzgerald, Pat Lamich Fullriede, Tess Prasnikar Horwath, Jan Gallagher Schwellenbach, Julie O'Grady and Kathy Biancardi Cacciato, according to Saint Viator.

Most had attended Our Lady of the Wayside School with Wieman, and several later attended the University of Dayton with her.

"We all share so much common history that we could talk for hours," O'Grady told Saint Viator.

The visit included looking through a scrapbook the classmates created about six months after 9/11, filled with photos and memories of Wieman.

"It was wonderful, wonderful," Marianne Lenz told the school. "They had so many memories of Mary, some I didn't even know, that we laughed and laughed."

Lenz also shared updates about Wieman's three children and showed the group photos of her great-grandson, Blaise, who would have been Wieman's first grandchild.

Wieman's name is among those inscribed at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City.

For her former classmates, Saint Viator said, the annual remembrance has remained focused not only on how Wieman died, but on how she lived.

"When we met, we didn't dwell on 9/11, but instead share happy and upbeat stories," O'Grady told the school. "Hopefully, the happiness from our visit will ease their spirits on the anniversary."

"By sharing stories of Mary and our years together," she added, "I think we all feel like Mary is there with us, enjoying all the memories."