Abington: Widow of 9/11 victim presents town with ground zero steel

Christie Coombs spoke at the ceremony about how her husband Jeff, the father of their three children, was on-board one of the hijacked airplanes that departed from Logan Airport.

Jeff boarded flight 11 and did not come home. Since then the last ten years have been an interesting journey. “It’s been one of a lot of ups and downs,” said Christie. “My kids were seven, eleven, and thirteen at the time. It was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do to try to explain to them how their father was killed in a terrorist act.

After originally contacting the 9/11 museum, Coombs was given a piece of steel from Ground Zero by the New York Port Authority. She presented the steel to the town of Abington as a thank you for supporting her and her children this last decade. The town is currently designing a memorial which will hold the steel.

The terrorist attacks of 9/11 forever changed Christies Coombs’ life; but now she encourages others to pay-it-forward, “Tomorrow what I ask you to do in honor of Jeff, in honor of all those who have died, I want you to do a nice act of service. We think it’s far more meaningful if you go do an act of service in memory of those who died to remember the kindness and the unity that everyone showed ten years ago after 9/11.