Fort Pierce family remembers flight attendant CeeCee Lyles on 9/11 anniversary
FORT PIERCE, Fla. —
CeeCee Ross Lyles of Fort Pierce, a flight attendant on United Flight 93, is being remembered by her family 25 years after she and others fought back against hijackers on Sept. 11, 2001.
This week, her family is in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, attending the 25th anniversary ceremony at the Flight 93 Memorial to honor her courage and keep her memory alive for future generations.
On the shores of the Indian River Lagoon in Fort Pierce, a statue stands in her honor. Reflecting on the anniversary, her husband said, “The 25th anniversary. It’s a hard one. I feel like every day or, well, almost every day, because her picture is all around the house. You know, I really miss her. Really loved her so much. She was such a beautiful woman.”
Lyles grew up in Fort Pierce and served as a police officer and detective before pursuing her childhood dream of becoming a flight attendant. She had been in the role for just 10 months before Sept. 11, 2001.
At 9:47 a.m. that day, 19 minutes into the hijacking, Lyles called her husband and left a message on their answering machine.
“Hi, Baby. I’m … Baby, you have to listen to me carefully,” she said.
Calmly, she asked him to tell her sons, Jerome and Javon, that she loved them.
Moments later, passengers and crew stormed the cockpit, forcing the hijackers to crash Flight 93 into a field in Pennsylvania, preventing it from reaching its intended target in Washington, D.C.
Today, Lyles’ sons are parents themselves.
“She would have three grandkids. She would have three for myself and three from Javon. So she would be arms full at the moment. Yes, she would,” said Jerome.
“Twenty-five years is … it’s been a long time of missing her and, you know, wishing she was here with her family and kids and my kids and, you know, a lot of, a lot of moments, like a lot of, you know, cherished moments have been missed,” he added.
The family said what has stayed with them most isn’t just the loss but also the unity that followed the tragedy.
“One good thing that came out of it was that the nation and all and everybody just came together in a spirit of unity, and that seemed to have lasted for a couple of months. And I pray that as we enter into this 25th year anniversary, that we can celebrate that spirit of unity,” a family member said, wiping away tears.
Lyles’ brother, Tony, shared how difficult the anniversary remains.
“She was a good, good, good sister that cared about people,” he said. “And I just miss her with all my heart and just glad to have been a part of her life for as long as I was.”
Despite the pain, the family says they are not just mourning Lyles but also celebrating her life.
“That same love, you know, same deep, you know, profound love. I give it to my kids because that’s definitely how she raised us and how she was with us,” said her son.
“You kind of try to separate yourself from it in a way, but you can’t because she was a hero. I’m just thankful that people still remember,” her brother added.
Each year, the family awards scholarships in Lyles’ name to graduating seniors, who must write an essay about her life to earn it. It’s one of the ways they keep her memory alive.
Some family members say the community they’ve found at the Shanksville memorial now feels like family of its own.
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