By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-09-14 18:11:43 | Updated at 2026-09-14 19:09:57
1 hour ago
MONTGOMERY, N.Y.—Hundreds of people listened in solemn silence as the names of the Orange County residents who died in the 9/11 attacks were read, and their families’ memories of them were spoken, over the flowers of the county arboretum.
The memorial was held on Sept. 11 at 6 p.m., at the Orange County Arboretum, where it is held annually. The weather was balmy, and the sky was clear. The evening sun dipped below the trees, filling the memorial clearing with a soft glow.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians Pipe Band Div. 1 led the colors, guards, and families of the fallen into the memorial.
They played “America the Beautiful,” which was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, and then the national anthem was sung to open the ceremony.
Rev. John Heidgerd of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Middletown said that this day was to remember the many who lost their lives and gave them bravely.
“Today is also a day to remember that God was with us, the God that sustained us even in the midst of tragedy,” he said.
“On that day, we witnessed God’s presence in the hearts and hands of those who found many still alive in the rubble, in the determination of rescue workers, angels who refused to give up even when hope seemed lost, in the care and the strength of volunteers, those who gave thousands of hours to support rescue and recovery efforts.”
County Executive Steve Neuhaus told the audience he had worked in 2 World Trade Center and said if not for 9/11, he would be on a very different path in life. He likely never would’ve joined the military or become a county executive.
This year, the memorial focused on how the families of those at the towers remember their loved ones.
Orange County lost 44 residents during the attack, and 15 in the armed forces since.
Each name was read, their descriptions and what they liked to do—such as listening to The Grateful Dead, fishing, or buying rickety old cars.
A bell was rung for each person.
One remembered man was Paul Ruback, a Newburgh resident and 20-year veteran of Ladder Company 25 in Manhattan.
He came from a family of firefighters and is survived by his wife, six children, and the 30 foster children he looked after over the years. He would have been 75 if he were alive today.
Edward Mazzella, Jr., of Monroe, packed his bags for his first retirement vacation that Friday. He was a senior vice president of Cantor Fitzgerald.
He was a hobby artist who would frame his works and give them to friends and family.
Mazzella was in his office on the 101st floor of the North Tower during the attack. He would have been 87 years old today.
Fallen in the War on Terror, Army Sgt. Kenneth VonRonn, 20, died on Jan. 6, 2005. A roadside bomb exploded under his Bradley fighting vehicle in Iraq.
He had enlisted after 9/11 and wanted to become a pediatrician. He would have been 46 years old today.
The ceremony ended with everyone joining together to sing “God Bless America,” and Heidgerd giving a benediction.
James and Erin Scoville told The Epoch Times after the memorial that they found the event touching.
Erin Scoville said, “I didn’t realize as many people from Orange County were affected, and I’m 47, and I heard a lot of people … [who died] were my age, that would have been 47.”
Erin Scoville is the hair stylist and owner of Oak & Rail Studio in Warwick, and James Scoville is the director of construction and maintenance for the Orange County Parks Department.
His job was to prepare the arboretum for the memorial. “I’ve been working in this area for the last week, and I’m so proud to be part of this amazing team. Look how beautiful it is,” he said.
The arboretum was in bloom, with beds and rows of purple, yellow, and red flowers. Meticulously placed and pruned trees gave the grounds the look of a well-gardened little forest.
Erin Scoville said that 9/11 reminds her of how special America is. “We really do have a beautiful country that enables us to have freedom of thought and of what we want to worship,” she said.
Erin and James Scoville at the 25th Anniversary 9/11 Patriot Day Ceremony at the Orange County Arboretum in Montgomery, N.Y., on Sept. 11, 2026. Oliver Mantyk/The Epoch Times
The Sept. 11, 2001 tragedy was a series of coordinated suicide attacks perpetrated by the Islamic terrorist organization al-Qaeda on U.S. soil.
Four commercial airliners were hijacked. Two planes were flown into the Twin Towers, causing their collapse, one crashed into the Pentagon, and the fourth crash-dived into the fields of rural Pennsylvania after resistance from the passengers.
