“TELL THE BOYS I LOVE THEM”: THE FINAL WORDS OF A MOTHER ABOARD FLIGHT 93

CeeCee Ross Lyles was only 33 when she boarded United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. A mother of four, former police officer and newly trained flight attendant, she had no idea that her final moments would become part of one of the defining stories of American history.

CeeCee Ross Lyles left home that morning to work a flight, just as she had done since beginning her new career as a United Airlines flight attendant.

She never returned.

More than two decades later, her name remains among the 40 passengers and crew members remembered at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

But for her family, CeeCee is remembered not simply as one of the people aboard Flight 93.

She was a mother.

A wife.

A former police officer.

And in the final minutes of her life, her thoughts turned to the people she loved most.

A MOTHER WHO HAD JUST BEGUN A NEW CHAPTER

Born in Fort Pierce, Florida, CeeCee had spent six years serving as a police officer and detective before deciding to pursue another childhood dream — becoming a flight attendant.

She completed her United Airlines flight attendant training in January 2001, only months before the September 11 attacks.

According to the National Park Service, CeeCee was the mother of two sons and two stepsons. Her husband, Lorne, later described her as a tough, intelligent and caring woman with a strong faith.

On the morning of September 11, she was working aboard Flight 93, which was traveling from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco.

Then everything changed.

“PLEASE TELL MY CHILDREN THAT I LOVE THEM”

At approximately 9:47 a.m., CeeCee called her husband and reached his answering machine.

The message was brief, but its meaning would last forever.

She told Lorne that the plane had been hijacked.

She said she loved him.

And then she asked him to deliver one message to their children:

“Please tell my children that I love them very much.”

She also said she hoped she would be able to see her husband again.

She never did.

The National Park Service notes that CeeCee made another call roughly five minutes before the crash — this time reaching Lorne directly.

“TELL THE BOYS I LOVE THEM”

During that final conversation, CeeCee told her husband that passengers and crew members were preparing to force their way into the cockpit.

They had learned that other hijacked planes had already struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

The situation aboard Flight 93 was becoming increasingly desperate.

CeeCee and Lorne prayed together.

Then came the words that would later become one of the most heartbreaking parts of her story.

According to the National Park Service, CeeCee told her husband:

“Tell the boys I love them. We’re getting ready to do it now. It’s happening!”

Those were among the last words her family ever heard from her.

THE PASSENGERS FOUGHT BACK

Flight 93 was one of four commercial airliners hijacked on September 11, 2001.

The Boeing 757 had been traveling toward San Francisco when the hijackers took control and turned the aircraft toward Washington, D.C.

But the passengers and crew learned what had happened to the other planes.

They realized that Flight 93 was part of a larger attack.

Calls were made to family members, friends and authorities. The information being gathered through those calls helped passengers understand the scale of what was happening.

Eventually, a group of passengers and crew members decided to fight back.

At around 9:58 a.m., the struggle for control of the cockpit began.

The cockpit voice recorder captured sounds of the confrontation as passengers attempted to breach the cockpit.

Less than five minutes later, at 10:03 a.m., Flight 93 crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

All 40 passengers and crew members aboard were killed.

The plane never reached its intended target in Washington.

REMEMBERING CEECee 25 YEARS LATER

In 2026, the 25th anniversary of September 11 brought renewed attention to the people whose lives were lost that morning.

The National Park Service held a special 25th observance at the Flight 93 National Memorial on September 11, honoring all 40 passengers and crew members.

Among those names was CeeCee Ross Lyles.

Her story remains especially powerful because of what she left behind in those final minutes.

She did not know what the future held.

She did not know whether she would see her husband again.

But she knew exactly what she wanted her children to know.

She loved them.

A MESSAGE THAT OUTLIVED THE MOMENT

CeeCee’s final words were spoken in a moment of unimaginable fear.

Yet decades later, they are remembered not only as the words of a woman facing the end of her life, but as the words of a mother making sure her children would hear the message that mattered most.

Tell the boys I love them.

Twenty-five years after September 11, CeeCee Ross Lyles is still remembered at the Flight 93 National Memorial.

Her life lasted only 33 years.

But the love contained in those final words has lasted far longer.