Letter from 9/11 Flight Attendant Reaches Her Son 24 Years Later

When he finally read the words written in his mother’s penmanship, his voice wavered with emotion as he became tearful. “Very touching,” he said. “It seems very sweet, and it seems like something she would definitely say, you know.”

Cee Cee Ross Lyles’s Words from the past Still Tug at the Heartstrings

The note itself reflected a moment of maternal pride that had been waiting more than two decades to be heard. “Dear Ms. Thurman, Jevon read a book last night that he brought home from the library. He read it from cover to cover. I told him I would write you a note and tell you what an outstanding job he did. We are very proud of him and will continue to work with him at home. Again, thank you for your dedication and courage for the job that you do. Cee Cee Lyles,” reads the letter.

Just months later, Lyles, a former Fort Pierce detective, would lose her life aboard United Flight 93, one of the four hijacked planes on that fateful morning in 2001. Castrillo, now a father to a three-month-old, vows to continue honoring her legacy: to live a life that would make her proud — just as she once said he made her.