Stricken Suburb

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

Every night thousands of people slog through New York City's Penn Station, heading for home in the suburbs.

SPOKESPERSON:

All aboard!

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

But on the night of Sept 11, an estimated 40 commuters didn't get off at Manhasset Station. And in this closely-knit Long Island community of about 16,000 the loss has been devastating. ( Music playing ) 12 people from St. Mary's Parish alone are gone, leaving parishioners trying to make some sense out of it, especially the children.

FATHER PETER DUGANDZIC:

We wanted to make clear that we are one family.

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

In suburban communities, all around New York City, grown-ups are searching for the right words to comfort children who've lost someone they knew and loved.

FATHER PETER DUGANDZIC:

One youngster asked, "How can I ever live in my house again?" One asked, "Is it possible to ever recoup from this?" One asked, "Will I ever see my father again?"

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

The pictures at Penn Station show Manhasset is not the only suburban community in mourning. Rockville Centre, 20 missing. Middletown, New Jersey, up to 50 missing. Big losses also in the Rockaways in Queens. Tim Kelly was one of those Manhasset commuters who didn't come home, a trader at Cantor Fitzgerald, just 37 years old. Shawn Kelly is one of his brothers.

SHAWN KELLY, Victim’s Brother:

He was a gregarious, good- natured, likable guy, knew everybody, everybody knew him.

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

Kelly was married to Julie Barry. He was father to five-year-old Kevin, three-year-old Mary Kate, and brand-new baby Caroline, born only days before the attack. Now they're among the 1,500 children who lost a parent from Cantor Fitzgerald. Tim's mother, Kathleen Kelly, grieves for her grandchildren.

KATHLEEN KELLY:

I'm sad. But I'm saddest for these children who have been robbed of one of the greatest fathers. I had Tim for 37 years, but the others have had him for such a short time. And Caroline doesn't even know him.

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

A third brother, Brian Kelly, worked side by side with Tim at Cantor Fitzgerald.

SHAWN KELLY:

Brian and Tim took a very early train every morning from this community into Wall Street together. They returned virtually every night together. But on this occasion, as fate would have it, Brian drove his children to school that morning and took a later train.

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

It was a horrible irony. One brother lived, the other one died.

SPOKESMAN:

Bitterness and hatred…

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

But the Kelly's were not alone in their grief. Just days after the attack, more than a thousand of their neighbors came to join them at a candlelight prayer vigil.

PEOPLE SINGING:

Oh beautiful for spacious skies for amber waves of grain…

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

At the time, no one expected the number of missing to be so high.

WOMAN:

Tim Burden; Ed Pappa.

WOMAN:

Matthew Lietta.

WOMAN:

Don Robson.

WOMAN:

Robert King, a fireman.

MAN:

My son-in-law, Michael.

WOMAN:

Michael Clark, a brave firefighter.

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

In the same park one week later, an arts and crafts festival was held. Jill Eastin and Tracey Cogin were there with their children. They both knew Tim Kelly's family and think normal suburban life is on hold.

JILL EASTIN:

Last week, all the sporting events were cancelled for the kids, which is sort of, you know, what we do on the weekends here. And everybody just… People haven't been out. It just seems very… You know, people have canceled parties, and even kids' birthday parties. It's just… It's been a very sad time for us. I mean, we've all… We've been going to churches and…

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

To funerals?

JILL EASTIN:

To funerals, memorial services, yeah. It's very sad.

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

Roseanne D'Ellia wonders if things will ever be the same.

ROSEANNE D’ELLIA:

There are quite a number of families in this area now that are fatherless and husbandless for no good reason. There is not one logical explanation as to why those people aren't here, why they're not here today enjoying this. So no, I think it's going to take a long, long time before there's any sense of happiness and joyfulness in this town again — I really do.

BETTY ANN BOWSER:

A long time and a long journey.