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Amy King in a black and white photograph taken in the summer of 2001.
The black and white photographs, almost lost in time, have become the perfect little time capsules for Amy King’s family.
The photos were primarily taken by King – the 29-year-old Celoron native who died in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City – when she visited her sisters, Deborah King Lloyd and Kellie King. , in the summer of 2001 in Illinois.
King was a bit of a photography buff, and during her visit in August, she took several photos on a roll of black and white film. They include some of King, a Southwestern Central High School graduate and flight attendant with United Airlines, with a big smile on her face with her, her nieces, and her nephew.
Others were from King’s boyfriend Michael Tarrou, who also died in the attacks, and a recent trip to Washington, DC
“Back then, when black and white film was still a thing, she took a lot of pictures of my kids. Lloyd said in an interview Friday on the eve of the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
The camera and film were said to have been with King, who was on United Airlines Flight 175 which crashed into the World Trade Center, and the family speculated that those moments captured weeks before his death were likely lost forever.
But that roll of film, and the thought that it might still be around, gnawed at Lloyd. She asked her sister to look for the camera while she cleaned King’s apartment in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, where she lived. She also mentioned to her parents, Stewart and Sue, during their daily phone conversations that she was looking for the movie.
In August 2002, Lloyd shot in the dark.
“I decided to look up the phone number of a pharmacy in Stafford Springs, which would have been almost a year later if they had these photos,” Lloyd said. “I asked, ‘By any chance do you have any photos that were never picked up by an Amy King? They put me on hold and took a little while. In the back, they found this envelope with that name on it. The person on the phone has become (emotional). They went to talk to their manager, and they were very, very nice. They made several copies and sent them to me.
The crisp black and white photos provided the family with tangible items to preserve new memories of King. “It was like this little gift a year later, it was incredible”, said Lloyd, a recently retired teacher living in California.
“I’m just thinking, ‘Thank goodness I called.’ It could have been in the trash. For me, it was a small gift from him. The fact that she took pictures of the kids, and with her and the kids and with her and Michael is amazing.
Lloyd said that while difficult at times, especially as the 9/11 anniversary approaches, she will continue to speak about her sister and those affected by the attacks. It’s an honor to do so, she added.
“It’s everyone’s tragedy” she said. “Although it’s not easy to talk about it, I feel like it’s my duty. “
But the loss of King is still on her mind. “You just learn to move on, to live without this person”, she said. “It never gets easier – you get more adaptive, but that hole is always there, and it never gets easier.”
She added, “You just try to hold on to every memory you can. You’re afraid you’ll forget the sound of her voice or a little nuance like that. It’s weird sometimes, I see it in my own children, little things, lines, when they say things or laugh. Over time, you just learn to focus on the happy times. But, on the anniversary, we remind you again.
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