Each night before bed, Chance Noonan jams his chubby 3-year-old feet into some tight sneakers and scampers outside his home in Rowayton, Conn., to "send a star up to Daddy."
The ceremony starts as his mother, Dana, hands him a sparkler. Picking out what he imagines is his father's star, Chance then whizzes around his yard like a comet, shouting "Yea, Daddy."
His father, Robert, 36, a broker for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 105th floor of 1 World Trade, never came home on Sept. 11. His wife and child have since gone through boxes of sparklers. "We haven't missed a night yet," said Mrs. Noonan.
The ache is everywhere. There were 15 pictures of Robbie, as they called him, on the refrigerator alone. When Chance was born, it was his father who tended him at night, charting how much formula was consumed on his watch. When Chance grew, Mrs. Noonan slept in on Saturdays, while Mr. Noonan made the pancakes. And when Chance outgrew his sneakers this year, they put off buying a new pair because his father had wanted to help pick them out.
Mrs. Noonan lost her childhood sweetheart as well. When she first caught his eye at Greenwich High School in 1984, he had already been named Mr. May, and was pictured leaning against a goalpost in that year's "Men of Greenwich" calendar. Girls' schools as far away as Avon, Conn., had Robbie fan clubs. Dana McGowan, however, won the prize, and the two made a striking bride and groom, her in immaculate white, him in full Highlands regalia.
Just saw a show on the 9/11
Just saw a show on the 9/11 attacks and thought about you. I'm the age you are when you died and I think about you and that day quite often. I know you're making them laugh in heaven like you did me and everyone who knew you here on earth. Miss you bro.
Published by Brooks Hodnette
My best friend growing up
My best friend growing up Kristi M. from Houston worked with Robbie at BTC Brokers or Reliant I cannot recall which. For the past ten years I think often about Mr. Noonan although I did not know him personally Mr. Noonan and his colleague Marissa DeNardo are my what feels personal links to this tragedy. My husband is in the Navy and was on a nine-month deployment at the time of 9/11. I was home in San Diego with my three-year-old and six-month-old daughters. Now ten years later my world has recently fallen apart and I do not know how to go on. I am stagnant and hurting and about to be homeless. I would explain more but this is not about me. I want the family of Mr. Noonan to know that someone they do not know personally a literal stranger has been fondly thinking of and praying for Robbie his nuclear and extended family and true friends for over ten years now. So when you get down know that someone very insignificant in your life is connected to you through prayer thousands of miles away here in San Diego. Now more than ever I relate to your loss and can only hope you have found or will find all the strength you need to endure. Yours was a very public loss and mine is private and lonely. I could only hope that if someone were thinking of and praying for me they would brighten my spirits to let me know. This is my humble attempt to finally reach out to attempt to brighten your collective spirits. My deepest regards. Becca
Posted by Rebecca Butler
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