Brother Remembers Sister's 9/11 Death

AVOCA, MN - On the eve of the 9/11 anniversary, one KELOLAND man remembers his sister who died while working at the Pentagon.

"To me, everyday is an anniversary," Denny Thedans said.

At the Rose of Lima Catholic Cemetery in Avoca, Minnesota, an empty bench is surrounded by yellow flowers and wild grasses. This is Cheryle Sincock's garden although she's never seen it. Sincock died on September 11th as a hijacked plane hit the Pentagon where she worked for 15 years.

"You know, that's when my heart sank and the world stopped," Thedans said.

It took two weeks to identify Sincock's remains through DNA testing. She was just 53 years old and left behind three daughters. Her body is buried in Quantico National Cemetery in Virginia but her brother, Denny Thedans, comes here to remember her. Months after her death, he designed and planted this garden in her honor.

"You know, that is a heck of a way to go. That is a heck of a way for all of those people, every last one of them," Thedens said.

Thedens says his feelings have remained the same since September 11, 2001. He thought time would heal the pain but he doubts it ever will.

"I just don't know if that is ever going to happen because I don't feel no different now than when I did ten years ago. I think about it every day. There are so many things when I go through the day that I think about Cheryle," Thedans said.

And that is evident in a garden that grows more each year -- carefully tended by a brother who will never forget that day and never forget his big sister. 

Thedans says he doesn't plan on attending any 9/11 memorial services Sunday but is thankful so many communities are holding them to honor the victims.