Monday, September 11, 2006

Remembering Jay Corcoran

For John James Corcoran, III or Jay as he was called, travel was a part of life. As a first engineer on huge cargo ships for the merchant marines, he sailed, hard at work, for 84 days, then returned home for 84 days. Every good-bye filled with an anticipation of a forthcoming reunion with his cherished family- his wife of 25 years, Diann, his daughter Meghan, and his son Jake. On September 11, 2001, Jay arrived at the Boston Airport bound for Los Angeles. He had recently been promoted and was embarking on his next assignment on the APL Thailand- a dream job for him.

Jay was a passenger on United Flight 175- the second hijacked plane to strike the World Trade Center.

From his photo I can see that his warm, easy smile and mischievous hazel eyes were friendly and welcoming. He and his family lived in Norwell, MA but Jay loved being at the family cabin in Augusta, Maine. It was his paradise- out in nature, calling to the loons, swimming under the night sky, spending time with his loved ones in his element. He was a fun-loving person with an infectious energy. He was proud of his family, his work and his country. Thoughtful, intelligent, kind and effusive, Jay is very dear to many.

He is deeply loved and missed- as a husband; a father, a brother, a son and a friend.


Jay and his loved ones are in my heart and in my prayers.

To see a list of participants in 2,996 please visit here.

15 comments:

JustRun said...

Thanks for your tribute and for finding words when it seems there are none.

Becky said...

These stories just continue to overwhelm me. Beautifully done.

Amy S. Petrik said...

What a nice tribute. Mine is Christopher Santora, died in the towers. Peace.

Circe said...

Beautiful post, Ms Sizz.........

hugs,
circe

Anonymous said...

Thanks.

Dashiell said...

That was nice.

Anonymous said...

Five years later, still breaks my heart.

Claire said...

thanks for that

Road Warrior said...

As I drove to work this morning, I saw a young man, maybe 20-21 years old, standing on the corner by himself waving a giant U.S. flag. I made sure he caught my eye as I passed and waved, as if to say, "Thanks for remembering." It made me a little misty, as I have some friends who choose to forget and instead blame the U.S. for all of the world's ills simply because we are so rich and mighty.

Thanks for the tribute, Sizz. And for not forgetting.

Anonymous said...

What a lovely way to remember someone. Beautifully written, as I'm sure he is remembered.

Anonymous said...

Sizz, you are such a kind person for doing this...what a wonderful way to approach this anniversary. Cheers.

Bill said...

Very nice post. I didn't plan on writing something like this - but I surprised myself.

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for writing this beautiful tribute in honor of my husband, Jay. My family and I take great comfort in knowing he is not forgotten.

sue said...

Thank you, Sizzle... what a beautiful tribute.

Bex said...

just so you know, that was beautiful. i loved the 2996 tribute.