9/11 Victim Joseph Anchundia Was Family Oriented

Joseph Anchundia grew up in Huntington and lived in Syosset for a while before moving to Manhattan.

Mother Christine said the 26-year-old was still close to his family, often coming home during weekends or stopping by on his way back from the Hamptons, where he and his friends had rented a house in the summer of 2001.

One of his last visits was on the Sunday before 9/11.

“It was just so precious, I remember kissing him, telling him I loved him,” Christine Anchundia said. “You never know when that last time will be.”

The following Tuesday, Joseph was at work at Sandler O’Neill and Partners, on the 104th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center, when the terrorists struck.

“I knew he was there, I just assumed he was there that morning, he started always at work at 7:30 a.m.,” Anchundia said.

She said her son worked long hours, but really liked his job and had recently been promoted. Joseph had joined Sandler O’Neill in 1999, after taking a course to become a broker after college. A friend he grew up with, Judson Cavalier, had asked Joseph to come in for an interview at the place Cavalier worked.

Both were roommates in the city, and both were at work at Sandler O’Neill on 9/11.

Both were killed.

Family Tragedies

Anchundia remembers watching TV as the events unfolded that day.

“It was a horrible thing," she said. "I knew that my son was in there. I never slept that first night, even the days that followed, we kept up hope that he would be found in a hospital or something.”

Her son’s remains were never found. But when they cleaned out his apartment, they found something that gave her hope. Joseph didn’t have time for church as much as he did when he was younger, Christine had given him a devotional book to read. While cleaning the apartment, she found the book with a bookmark in it, for Sept. 10.

“It was just such an encouragement to me to see that he was still reading it,” Anchundia said. “The name of that chapter was ‘Who Can Fathom Eternity’…it was amazing to me that he read that the night before he died.” 

“We are people who really have a strong faith in the Lord, that’s what’s helped us, what keeps us going," Anchundia said. "It doesn’t take away the pain; it doesn’t take away the sorrow. It just gives you hope at the end of the road.”

In the years after 9/11, the Anchundia family suffered another devastating loss. Joseph was the middle of three children - two boys and a girl. In 2007, Joseph’s older brother, Elias, was killed in an explosion while doing electrical work.

Christine urges people to take time with their loved ones, while they still have it.

“Every day is precious, especially with your children and every member of your family," Anchundia said. "We should have family times more and more often and never neglect that, because you never know if it will be the last time.”

The Years After 9/11

In the past 10 years, Anchundia said she feels the country has become safer, with security measures at airports and other places. But she wonders how such an attack could have happened in the first place.

“I’m taken aback...that our security was so lax back then," Anchundia said. "That is still an unbelievable event."

On 9/11 this year, Anchundia does not plan to go to the ceremony at Ground Zero, indicating it “has never been a place of comfort for us, it made us feel worse. We’ll probably go to church.” She prefers the Oyster Bay Memorial at TOBAY Beach. 

She also said it’s sometimes hard to realize that it has been 10 years -- and noted that people see the anniversary in different ways.

“For us, more than the fact that the towers came down, it’s the day that our son died,” Anchundia said. “It seems like yesterday, it comes as a shock that it’s 10 years… it’s with us every day.”

She said that Joseph loved living in the city, as well as biking, and cooking.

“The pain stays the same," Anchundia said. "I think the pain doesn’t lessen, but you become more able to bear it. It becomes a part of your life, every day you show up for life and make that choice.”

The pain this time of year can be even more acute for Anchundia, because of all the images in the news, but it is also an important reminder.

“It’s very hard for us, but at the same time, we don’t want anyone to forget," she said.