“TELL THE BOYS I LOVE THEM”: A MOTHER’S FINAL WORDS BEFORE FLIGHT 93 WENT DOWN ON SEPTEMBER 11

CeeCee Ross Lyles was only 33 when she made two calls to her husband from aboard United Flight 93 — leaving behind words of love that her family would never forget.

CeeCee Ross Lyles left home on the morning of September 11, 2001, expecting an ordinary day at work.

Instead, the 33-year-old mother, wife and United Airlines flight attendant would become one of the many unforgettable faces of a day that changed America forever.

Her final moments were captured not by a camera, but through a series of phone calls to the man she loved.

And in those calls, CeeCee’s thoughts repeatedly returned to one thing:

Her family.

SHE HAD ALREADY SERVED HER COMMUNITY

CeeCee was born and raised in Fort Pierce, Florida.

Before becoming a flight attendant, she had spent six years working as a police officer and detective with the Fort Pierce Police Department.

In January 2001, she completed her training to become a United Airlines flight attendant — beginning a new career only months before the September 11 attacks.

She was also a mother.

According to the National Park Service, CeeCee was raising two sons and had two stepsons. Her husband, Lorne, later described her as a strong, caring woman with deep faith.

Then came Flight 93.

“I WANT TO TELL YOU I LOVE YOU”

At around 9:47 that morning, CeeCee managed to contact her husband and leave a message.

She told him the plane had been hijacked.

She explained that she was trying to remain calm and that she had heard about planes being flown into the World Trade Center.

But even in the middle of the unfolding nightmare, her message quickly became personal.

She told Lorne that she loved him.

And then came the words that would stay with her family forever:

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

She also told her husband that she hoped she would be able to see his face again.

The message ended with another expression of love and a goodbye.

THEN SHE CALLED AGAIN

About 10 minutes later, CeeCee was able to reach Lorne directly on her cell phone.

This time, the situation aboard Flight 93 had become even more desperate.

She told him that the plane was being hijacked and that passengers and crew members were preparing to force their way into the cockpit.

Lorne later recalled that the two of them prayed together.

Then CeeCee gave him another message for their children.

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

The call ended as the struggle aboard the aircraft was beginning.

THE PASSENGERS FOUGHT BACK

At approximately 9:57 a.m., passengers and crew members aboard Flight 93 began their attempt to take back control of the aircraft.

The National Park Service records that CeeCee’s final call came just before the struggle began in earnest.

Flight 93 ultimately crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at 10:03 a.m.

All 40 passengers and crew members aboard were killed.

But the aircraft never reached its intended target.

The National Park Service says the passengers and crew mounted an effort to regain control after learning through phone calls that other hijacked planes had been used in the attacks.

25 YEARS LATER, HER WORDS STILL REMAIN

CeeCee Ross Lyles never made it home to Fort Pierce.

But her memory has remained deeply connected to the community she once served.

Her story is now preserved at the Flight 93 National Memorial, where she is remembered among the passengers and crew members who died that morning.

Her final calls reveal something deeply human about those final minutes.

She knew something terrible was happening.

She knew she might not see her husband or children again.

And yet, amid the fear and uncertainty, she made sure they heard the words that mattered most.

“I love you.”

Twenty-five years later, those words remain part of CeeCee Ross Lyles’ legacy — a final message from a mother who wanted her children to know that, even in her last moments, they were in her heart.