KAYSVILLE, UT — Margaret Wahlstrom and her daughter, Mallory Wahlstrom Wright, are still carrying the loss of two family members killed on Sept. 11, 2001, and they say telling those stories is part of how they keep that day from fading into history.
Their relatives, Mary Alice Wahlstrom and Carolyn Beug, died when the plane they were in struck the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. More than two decades later, the family says remembering them is also a way to remind younger people what the attacks meant, both personally and nationally.
A memorial in Kaysville keeps the family connected to the loss
Wright said she was in seventh grade when the attacks happened, and she remembers looking up to her aunt Carolyn. At a memorial in Kaysville that includes Beug’s picture, she spoke about how much her aunt resembled her father and how deeply she feels the loss even now.
Beug worked for Disney Studios at the time and helped produce music videos. Wright said she wishes she had been able to know her longer, and she hopes she can be that kind of steady presence for her own nieces and nephews.
That personal connection is part of why the family continues to return to the story. For them, the loss is not only tied to a major national tragedy, but also to two women they describe as deeply loved and full of life.
Mary Alice Wahlstrom is remembered as vibrant and full of life
Margaret Wahlstrom spoke warmly about Mary Alice Wahlstrom, who was her mother-in-law. She said the family used to joke that Mary Alice would live to be at least 100 because she seemed so young and vibrant.
That memory has become part of how the family talks about her now. Rather than focusing only on the date of the attacks, Wahlstrom said she wants people to understand the people who were lost and the energy they brought to their family and community.
The family’s repeated retelling is not just about grief. It is also about preserving identity, turning personal memories into a public reminder that the dead were parents, relatives and friends with full lives before Sept. 11.
The family keeps telling the story at schools and to anyone who will listen
Since the attacks, Wahlstrom and Wright have made a point of sharing their experience with as many people as possible. Wahlstrom even visits her son’s history class each year to help teach students about the day and its lasting effects.
They say they want younger generations to understand what happened beyond the headlines and the anniversaries. In their view, the story of 9/11 should include the people who were lost, the families who were changed forever and the ways communities responded afterward.
That effort, they say, has become more important as time passes. The farther the country moves from 2001, the more deliberate they feel about passing along what they remember.
They say the response after 9/11 showed a level of unity that feels harder to find now
Wahlstrom said one of her first memories when she thinks back on the attacks is the compassion and unity that followed. She said people came together in ways that helped families and communities survive the aftermath.
Wright said she remembers a widespread outpouring of support from around the world that lasted for months after the attacks. But she worries that kind of response may be harder to find now.
Both women said personal connections mattered then, and they believe those connections are less common today. They pointed to the way people now react to tragedies through social media and online debate, which Wright said can create conflict instead of shared humanity.
A recovered piece of World Trade Center steel carries the family's message
Sitting near a community memorial and a statue of a firefighter holding a child, Wahlstrom brought out a square piece of metal she has kept with her. She said it is recovered steel from the World Trade Center.
For her, the metal has become a symbol of strength. She said the human spirit is stronger than the steel itself, because she watched people endure and keep going after the attacks.
That object, along with the stories she and Wright continue to tell, gives the family a way to link private grief with public memory. Their message is simple: remember the people, remember the loss and remember the unity they say followed the tragedy.
Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.
