Kimberly Gardner clutched a picture of her husband Christopher Thursday evening. He was 37 at the time of the attacks on the World Trade Center living in Darien. He died trying to help others get out of 2 World Trade where he worked. Gardner, at a memorial at Sherwood Island State Park, said her children were just two and three years old when her husband died.
"We’ve done the best we could," Gardner said. “We've had tough times and we've had great times and we miss him but we are living our life and he is a big part of it in our hearts.”
As the country comemorates the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Gardner and others gathered in Westport Thursday evening to remember. The 161 names of the Connecticut residents who lost their lives that day were read by their family members. The ceremony is held each year at the memorial at Sherwood Island State Park where a plaque displays each name.
Gardner says it was important for her family to move past that horrific day.
“I wanted them to have a good life and not be victims too," she said. “That's not what their father would want, either.”
Despite the pandemic, Gardner said she knew she needed to be at the event.
“It's important," she said. "It means a lot to the families and there are a lot of issues going on but this was a something huge impact on us personally."
Gov. Ned Lamont and Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz placed white roses on the monument. Both reflected on how, through the terrorist attacks, Americans came together to support one another.
