Anthony Mark Ventura was born on June 12, 1960 and was raised in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. He was a graduate of John Dewey High School and a graduate of New York University. He was an employee of Fiduciary Trust at 2 WTC as a Senior Vice President on 9/11/2001. Anthony became a devoted husband to Lisa when they married and was a loving and dedicated father to Jessica and Nicole.

Felicia Hamilton was born on June 20, 1939 in Nusco Italy. She was brought to America when she was thirteen and lived in the same house in Queens for over forty years. She spent most of her working life at Manufacturers Hanover Trust but spent the last few years as a supervisor at Fiduciuary Trust at 2 WTC. She was an incredible mother to Walter and Lisa, loving grandmother to Jessica and Nicole and all around amazing human being.

I remember the day we first met. I really was not up to a blind date but fate stepped in and a wonderful life began.

You were such a wonderful man and quite the gentlemen. Nor many thirty year olds would open a car door for a woman or walk on the traffic side of a street but you did. One of the things that still make me smile today, it’s the way you made me laugh. They were silly inside jokes but ones that I still smile at privately. It is so hard to believe that ten years have passed because in some ways the heartache feels like yesterday and in others I can’t believe that we as a family survived your absence.

Anthony, you so loved your family. Some of my most prized memories were watching you with your daughters. I remember standing on the basement stairs, watching quietly, as you danced with Jessica and Nicole. Through my teary eyes, I was envisioning you as you danced to Daddy’s Little Girl on their wedding day. You would have deserved the honor of that dance. I remind the girls often of the things you did with them. They were so little, only one year old and three years old, but love knows no age and they still feel your presence in their hears. You used to come home from work at Fiduciary Trust each night and put your briefcase down. The girls would be waiting for you in Jessica’s bedroom. You would start running at the end of the hallway and slide into her room. Once you got there you would leap onto the bed. The giggles were precious! This was a nightly occurrence – This may seem silly to the reader but it is a memory that will always linger. Each weekend morning, Jessica would climb out of her bed and find you in the computer room. I used to stay in bed with Nicole so each of us could have our quality time. Who knew that the sands of the hourglass where moving so fast. Nicole knew how to play you so you would carry her around. But I know you loved doing it. There are many things that bring me joy during the year. I smile each time I think about us cutting down and decorating our Christmas tree. You knew how important that was for me knowing that I never did that as a child. You were all about family; declaring weekends as family time. Only you would take a 20 mile bike ride beginning at 7:00am so you could be home and ready to start your day with your family. It was all about the simple things. We knew we came first – thank you! You would be so proud of the girls and who they are today. They are so much like you. Jessica loves to read. She always has a book in her hand. Nicole is my handyman-always putting things together or taking things apart. That was so you. There was nothing that you did not think you could fix.

Anthony as a son in law, Wow! One of the things that I admired most about you was your love for my mother Felicia. You never saw her as a threat or as an inconvenience. She was welcomed into our home and into our lives. It is no wonder that she loved you the way she did. I was happy knowing that you and she were working for the same company. And it is no wonder that you sacrificed your safety to go and get my mother on that tragic day. I knew when I was told that you were last seen going up the stairwell that you were on your way to get my mom, I knew that was never a choice but a given. Losing both of you on September 11th was beyond pain but knowing that you were together when your lives ended brought me some source of comfort. That was you---selfless. And to be honest, my mother Felicia would have done the same. Both of you had such a courageous and honorable character. And your mother Margaret, she thought that the sun raised and set on you. When she was sick with cancer there was not a day that went by that you were not there for her or your father Dominic. I know that her remission was due partly to the love and support of her son. Unfortunately losing you, cost them their lives as well. Your brothers Christopher and Louis still talk about you with honor. They loved you so much that they keep us in their lives. Their presence is such a gift in so many ways.

Life is different than how I envisioned it nineteen years ago. So much has changed but we managed to carve out a blessed life. You were and continue to be a source of hope, inspiration and of love. I am thankful that God gave us the time that we had. You will continue to live in our hearts, souls and minds. We will always love you and pray that you and mom are in peace and watching over us as we live this life that God has decided us to live.