Maplewood, South Orange Mourners Remember 9/11 On 25th Anniversary

SOUTH ORANGE-MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Residents of Maplewood and South Orange attended a remembrance service for the victims of the September 11^th attacks on Friday.

Community leaders from both towns held a solemn ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial in front of the Hilton Branch Library in Maplewood. The 25^th anniversary tribute included participation from the South Essex Fire Department.

“As we mark 25 years since September 11, 2001, we come together as neighbors to remember, reflect, and honor those whose lives were lost and changed forever,” South Orange officials wrote. “We will never forget.”

Maplewood Mayor Victor De Luca was among the speakers at Friday’s memorial service. His comments as prepared follow below:

“September 11, 2001, started like any other day. We went to work, to school, to take care of the things we do each morning. The temperature was crisp, the sky picture perfect blue. No one had any idea how on that day the world would change forever.

“That morning, I was one of thousands of rail commuters travelling into the city. We had just settled in at our desks for another day’s work when at 8:46 a.m., the first jet crashed into the World Trade Center’s north tower. Seventeen minutes later, the second jet struck the south tower. At 9:37 a.m., a third jet crashed into the Pentagon. Later that morning, a fourth jet went down into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

“These incomprehensible and violent attacks are etched in our minds, seared in our memories and captured in our history books. Twenty-five years later, there is still no making sense of this; why nearly 3,000 innocent people – our mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors – were killed by these terrorist acts.

“New Jersey lost 750 residents on September 11th. Two Maplewood residents, Kirsten Christophe and Douglas Cherry, were killed and others who grew up here but lived elsewhere lost their lives that day.

“Kirsten was 39-years-old, married for six years to Charles and had one daughter, Gretchen. Gretchen would turn one year old on September 13^th, two days after losing her mom. Kirsten and Charles, both attorneys, loved to explore Manhattan on weekends, visiting museums, galleries, and restaurants. Charles described her as an excellent mother, a brilliant spouse, perfect.

“Douglas Cherry grew up in Ohio and was a huge Cincinnati Bengals fan, an accomplished swimmer and an avid golfer. He was 38-years-old and married to Sarah, his college sweetheart. Their three children were seven, five and three when Doug died. This week I connected with Sarah who told me her adult children are doing well and that Maplewood will always have her heart and represent home to her.

“We will continue to keep alive the memories of Kirsten and Doug and all those lost that day. We also will never forget the heroism of the fire, police and emergency medical personnel who raced into harm’s way to save the lives of others. Sadly, hundreds of these first responders made the ultimate sacrifice of their own lives.

“May this piece of twisted steel from the World Trade Center serve as a permanent reminder of that horrific day. May it also serve as a call to build a better world – free of terrorism, violence and war – now and for generations to come.”

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