Broomfield resident Michael Faughnan will speak at the community’s annual Sept. 11 memorial ceremony. His brother, Chris, was killed in the attacks in 2001.

“Sharing this event with the Broomfield community continues to be a healing process within our family, and that healing process never really ends,” he said. “Even though we’re 2,000 miles away from where it occurred… they’ve done such a wonderful job to acknowledge the hurt from that day and show how we came together as a country.”

Michael Faughnan said that his whole family gets together at the ceremony and then gathers together afterward as a reunion of sorts. It’s an opportunity not only to remember his brother, but to celebrate his life and legacy.

“It’s a day we come together regardless of background or political affiliations and mourn as a community and as common people with shared values,” he said.

Cathy Faughnan, Chris Faughnan’s wife, said that she met her late husband at the University of Colorado, and they moved together to New York after graduation and both worked in Manhattan. After getting married, the couple started their family and had three children together.

“Chris loved being a dad,” she said. “It was probably the happiest time of his life.”

Cathy Faughnan said her late husband is remembered by his friends and family as a loving husband and father who was generous and giving, always doing his best to help those in need.

“He believed a lot in helping others who were less fortunate. “He would give money to homeless people all the time and just was always trying to do something for other people,” she said. “He was just a great guy.”

She said that after his death, she and their three children moved back to Colorado. Although there aren’t many families directly impacted by the attacks who live in the state, Cathy Faughnan said she is grateful for the memorial and the opportunity to honor her late husband.

“We’ve spoken at the ceremony every year, and it’s just a really special place for our family to gather,” she said.

The memorial ceremony is planned for 8:30 am Wednesday at the 9/11 Memorial in Broomfield Community Park near the intersection of Community Park Road and Spader Way. It will include retiring the current flag and raising a new one, as well as music from local buglers and ringing of the firefighter’s bell.

“Some of the ceremonial aspects have a more significant reverence to them,” said Sara Farris, North Metro Fire Rescue District’s public information officer. “But we really want to just remember and reflect on that time and the lessons of unity and coming together we’ve learned.”

North Metro Fire Rescue hosts the ceremony, including a tribute where two fire engines raise their ladders together and display an American flag in remembrance. The memorial was funded by the North Metro Fire Rescue District Community Foundation and was dedicated on Sept. 10, 2006.

Close to 3,000 people died during the Sept. 11 attack and hundreds more have died since then due to health complications from exposure to toxins. Of those who lost their lives, more than 400 were firefighters, law enforcement officers and emergency services providers.

Originally Published: September 5, 2024 at 2:50 pm