'She never wanted to be seen as a victim.' Friends remember Easton 9/11 advocate who lost family members on Sept. 11
89-year-old Eunice Hanson's son Peter, his wife Sue and their 2-year-old daughter Christine were on United Flight 175 when it flew into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
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5h agoMembers of the Easton community are remembering 89-year-old Eunice Hanson, who died on Monday.
"She was a spitfire," close friend Dori Wollen says. "A great sense of humor, a lovely lady, and a very strong lady."
She was often profiled on News 12 Connecticut for her connection to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Hanson lost her son, Peter, her daughter-in-law Sue, and her 2-year-old granddaughter Christine when United Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
Hanson's husband Lee took a call from their son just before the plane hit.
"He said Dad, don't worry, it'll be quick," Eunice Hanson told News 12 back in 2021. "And then very softly he said, 'Oh my God, oh my God,' and we saw the plane hit the tower."
Hanson routinely attended the state's annual 9/11 memorial service at Sherwood Island in Westport, and she spent many years advocating for 9/11 victims and their families.
Close friend Beverlee Dazey says Hanson refused to let the tragedy define her life.
"She decided," Dazey says. "That she never wanted to be seen as a victim."
Hanson was secretary of the conservation commission, assistant town clerk for two years, and Easton's registrar of voters for over 20 years.
She was also president of Alpha Home of Bridgeport for five years raising funds for homeless families.
"The resources they got from 9/11," Dazey says. "They turned around and gave it all away. Levels of philanthropy that people can't begin to imagine."
Eunice's life, friends say, won't be measured in years of service, but rather memories made and laughter shared.
"She just brought levity at times when everybody was feeling despair," Dazey says. "I want to be like her."
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