Point Lookout: Location honors him best
Donna Steckman, 44, Deanine Nagengast, 41, and Diana DeVito, 34, of Merrick remember their father, William V. Steckman, during the seaside ceremony in Point Lookout. (Sept. 11, 2011) Credit: Newsday/Aisha al-Muslim
The Hempstead Town 9/11 memorial couldn't have been located at a better place for the family of William V. Steckman.
Just after sunrise, Donna Steckman and her family went out to the anniversary ceremony at the memorial in Point Lookout to remember and celebrate the life of her father. William Steckman, 56, of West Hempstead, was a transmitter engineer for NBC for 35 years. He was working on the 104th floor at One World Trade Center 10 years ago.
"Growing up we used to go to this beach with him, so we have a connection to this place," said Donna Steckman, 44, of Massapequa, who held back tears as she remembered her father. She and her sisters, Deanine Nagengast, 41, of Seaford and Diana DeVito, 34, of Merrick, joined more than 3,000 people at the memorial.
They placed small American flags bearing their father's name in the sand at the base of a chrome replica of the Twin Towers.
"Even after 10 years, it's still very hard for us," DeVito said as she began to cry. "We are a close family and we try to honor him as much as we can."
