9/11 ‘Stays With You Forever,’ Victim’s Mom Says

Eleven years have passed since the attacks on the World Trade Center took the life of resident Paul Skrzypek and thousands more. But to his mother, Edith Skrzypek, Tuesday’s 9/11 anniversary feels as painful as the day she lost her son.

“It’s no different than the day it happened,” she said. “You do get over the initial shock, but it stays with you forever.”

Skrzypek’s father, Albert, agreed.

“I’m still bitter mad,” he said.

Paul Skrzypek was 37 years old when he died while working for Cantor Fitzgerald. His father said he was a bachelor living in an apartment on the upper West side of New York City at the time.

“He thought he was on top of the world,” he said. “That was a mistake, I guess, but he lived the city he loved, living the good life.”

Paul Skrzypek was a 1982 graduate. He had a passion for lacrosse which, his mother said, he played throughout high school, college and even as an adult recreationally. He was also a New York Yankees fan and loving family member.

“He was a very good person, a very loyal person,” Edith Skrzypek said. “He was a great son.”

Skrzypek was killed on that day. Albert Skrzypek said he feels not much has changed in the world since then and that progress has not been made in America’s War on Terror since 9/11.

“We’re over there killing more young people and we’re not going anywhere,” he said.

The Skrzypeks are not planning to attend a memorial in New York City for the 9/11 victims but instead, will attend Montville’s own Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Montville Township Municipal Building. Following the ceremony, the family will visit Gate of Heaven cemetery, in East Hanover, where Skrzypek’s remains are buried.