Valaria Murray, a legal secretary, was a mother, a professional and a woman who knew how to enjoy herself. She gave hours and hours to the PTA at the school her five children attended in Flushing, Queens. She clicked off to work in Manhattan each morning, resplendent in high heels. She kept a book of crossword puzzles in her purse for those empty moments on the subway, where she sat busily filling in the answers with a pen. She was always up for a game of bingo, and loved Clint Eastwood movies like "In the Line of Fire."

She had always worked, first part time and then full time after her husband died. When she was 63, she polished her computer skills with a city-sponsored course for the elderly, and when she was 64, she landed a job with Ohrenstein & Brown on the 85th floor of 1 World Trade Center. Her children, all grown up, watched for her e-mail messages.

For her 65th birthday on Sept. 15, 2000, they secretly planned a brunch at a restaurant in Bayside, Queens. They and the grandchildren and many of Mrs. Murray's friends surprised her as she arrived. She burst into tears.

"Ma, we believe in you," Ken Murray declared at her memorial service. "We love you. We honor you. We miss you."

   9/11: The Reckoning