AMHERST, N.Y. — Neighbors in Amherst remembered all civilians, flight crew members, and first responders who did not get to say goodbye to their loved ones on 9/11, nearly 3,000 in total.
27 of those individuals either lived in or had a connection to Amherst and Western New York.
Karen Eckert lost her brother-in-law, Sean Rooney, 20 years ago. He was on the 102nd floor of the South Tower when the second plane crashed.
Eckert says she can't believe 20 years have passed. She also says it's still very hard to grapple with, but she also shared with us how she gets through it each year.
"It's remembrance, reflection, and resilience," she said. "We just try to say, where's the strength in all of this? Where's the love and not the hate? That's what we're focusing on today, and the beautiful memory of our loved ones."
Karen also lost her sister, Beverly, in 2009 when Flight 3407 crashed in 2009.
Saturday 9/11 ceremony was held at the Amherst Memorial Hill Grove.
According to Amherst's 9/11 commemoration committee, it was the first memorial dedicated to victims. It was dedicated in October of 2001.