Death of Tom McGuinness on 9/11 Sent Shock Waves Through City

Ten years ago on the morning of September 11, 2001, Tom McGuinness kissed his wife, Cheryl, goodbye at their Portsmouth home before he headed to Boston's Logan International Airport to go to work.

Neither she nor their two children, Jennifer, then-16, and Tommy, then-14, would see McGuinness again. The 42-year-old former Navy fighter pilot was the co-pilot and first officer on American Airlines Flight 11 that was scheduled to make a non-stop flight to Los Angeles.

Shortly after the plane's 8 a.m. take-off, five hijackers led by Mohamed Atta, an Egyptian, took over the plane and crashed it into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City at 8:45 a.m. It was the first plane to hit the World Trade Center.

McGuinness' death shocked Portsmouth and the congregation at the family's church, Bethany Church in Greenland. The family had recently moved to Portsmouth from California so McGuinness could pursue better opportunities with American Airlines.

Ten years later, Cheryl McGuinness said her faith in God continues to help her and their children heal from the tragedy.

"We've really come to see how fleeting and fragile our own lives are and how things can be changed in the blink of an eye," she said in a phone interview with Portsmouth Patch.

Cheryl McGuinness authored the book and found a ministry by the same name, "Beauty Beyond the Ashes" and she talks to many groups around the country about how her faith in God, which she and her husband shared, helped sustain her through the darkest days she and her family experienced.

She has also appeared on MSNBC, Good Morning America, CNN, The 700 Club and Fox News where she has talked about how her faith has helped her.

Former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush also invited Cheryl McGuinness to the White House and she also christened the USS New Hampshire submarine in 2007 before it made its voyage to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.

Her Web site talks about how it is possible to overcome even the most painful and tragic experiences in life and offers hope for all those who lost loved ones on what continues to be remembered as the most horrific day in American history:

"We have all been impacted by September 11th. Security, peace, safety - things we took for granted - became casualties of that infamous day. Every life endures sadness and loss. But my story is that no matter what you have experienced or what pain you have suffered, God can bring your through the ashes of destruction to the beauty of life."

But more importantly, Cheryl McGuinness said her faith in God has helped her family find peace and enjoy their lives the way Tom would have wanted.

"I've been able to move forward with my life and I've been able to see life and all of the changes that have happened with a level of security and a peace in my heart," she said. "There is healing that does happen when you trust God."

At the Bethany Church in Greenland, where Cheryl McGuinness lives now with her second husband, church member Shirley Jaquith the house of worship is one of the positive things that resulted from the tragedy. Cheryl McGuinness continues to be an active member in the church and leads many women's groups.

She said that before Tom McGuinness was killed in the terrorist attacks, the church, which was then relatively new, was floundering. After his death, many people that Tom McGuinness knew in the community and in the airline industry came to the church. Today the parish has more than 2,000 members.

The Bibles in the church sanctuary all bear Tom McGuinness' name. she said.