Remembering those we've lost

As has become our tradition, today we remember 27 individuals who died as a result of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks who are known to have had a Newton, Needham or Wellesley connection. (We're not aware of anyone from Watertown who perished from the attacks.)

 

Mark Bavis, a Roslindale native who had recently moved to West Newton, was a hockey star at Catholic Memorial High School. He was on board one of the two planes.

 

Susan L. Blair, 35. A graduate of Needham High who worked as a team leader for Aon on the 92nd floor of the World Trade Center and lived in East Brunswick, NJ.

 

John Cahill, 57, of Wellesley was a retired employee of Xerox and was enroute to California to do some private business consulting when he perished aboard United Flight 175.

 

Edmund Glazer, 41, was chief financial officer and vice president of finance and administration, MRV Communications and had moved to Wellesley that spring with his wife and 4-year-old son. He was onboard American Airlines Flight 11.

 

Lisa Fenn Gordenstein, 41 was an assistant vice president of the TJX Companies and lived in Needham with her husband David (a long time employee at Newtonville Camera) and two daughters. She was a passenger on Flight 11.

 

Paige Farley-Hackel, 46, was a member of the Salvation Army Advisory Board, and was trying to get certification as a spiritual instructor. She was on board American Airlines Flight 11, heading to California to speak with radio producers about a radio show on spirituality.

 

Eric Hartono, originally from Indonesia, was reported to be a student in Newton who was moving to Los Angeles. He was on board United Airlines Flight 175.

 

Neilie Heffernan Casey, 32, a merchandise planning manager for TJX Co. had just returned to work in July from a maternity leave after giving birth to her then 7-month-old daughter Riley. She ran the Komen Race for the (breast cancer) Cure the Sunday before with her husband and Riley in a baby jogger.

 

Nicholas Humber, 60, a resident of Auburndale. He was one of the first employees of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1971, and was instrumental in starting its waste management division. He was also on American Airlines Flight 11.

 

Aaron Jacobs died at the World Trade Center at age of 27. A vice president and partner on the international trading desk at Cantor Fitzgerald. His parents, Alice and Laurence Jacobs lived in Waban.

 

Ariel Louis Jacobs, 29, was a newlywed, an expectant father, executive vice president of U.S. Operations of Caplin Systems, and the brother of Newton-resident Claudia Jacobs when he died in the World Trade Center. His first and only child was born six days after his death.

 

Danny Lewin, 31, died on board American Airlines Flight 11. He lived in Newtonville with his wife and children. He founded Akamai Technologies, a website management system.

 

Ruth Clifford McCourt, owned and managed a business called Clifford Classique in Newton Highlands. McCourt was on board flight 175 with her four year old daughter, Juliana, the youngest victim that day. She was close friends with Paige Farley-Hackel, who was on Flight 11.

 

Thomas McGuinness, Jr. was the co-pilot of Flight 11 and worked for American Airlines. Born in Needham, he lived in Portsmouth, NH with his wife and two children. 

 

Stuart Meltzer, 32, grew up in Newton Highlands and moved to Long Island not long before his death. He was remembered fondly by teachers and coaches at the Rivers School in Weston. He worked in energy management, with offices in the World Trade Center.

 

Donald Arthur and Jean Hoadley Peterson were traveling on Flight 93 to Yosemite National Park in California for a vacation with Jean’s brother and parents. Their daughter Jen Price is the former principal of Newton North.

 

Patrick J. Quigley IV, 40, was a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, was on Flight 175 on Sept. 11. He left behind his wife, 6-year-old daughter Rachel and daughter Leah, who was born a month after he passed.

 

David Retik, 33, was the general partner and founding member of Alta Communications and lived in Needham with his wife, Susan. A native of Weston David met Susan at Colgate University, where they both studied. They had two children and were expecting a third at the time of his death. David was on board Flight 11.

 

Richard Ross, 58, a resident of Oak Hill. A businessman, he moved to Newton 22 years before, and had run a travel agency and a copy machine sales business before becoming a corporate consultant. He died on board American Airlines Flight 11.

 

Jean, 55, and Don Peterson, 66, of Spring Lake, N.J. Jean was a retired nurse and nursing teacher, church and community volunteer. Don was a retired president, Continental Electric Co., church and community volunteer. The mother and stepfather of Newton North Principal Jen Price were aboard United Flight 93.

 

Rahma Salie, 28, and Michael Theodoridis, 32, were expecting their first child when they died aboard American Airlines Flight 11. She worked for an internet security company and he was a technology consultant. Their parents, Haleema and Ysuff Salie, were part of the Salie family that owned L’Aroma Cafe and Bakery in West Newton

 

Clarin Siegel Schwartz, 51, was a tax lawyer and senior vice president at Aon Consulting Inc. in the World Trade Center. She was also a 1967 graduate of Newton South High School.

 

Amy Toyen, 24, grew up in Avon, Conn., and moved to Newton in 1999. She was planning to get married in 2002. She was on the 106th floor of the World Trade Center at a trade show for her company, Thompson Financial Group.