Kiana Jorge was only five years old when she lost both of her parents, Lialette Yesenia Batista Ramirez and Jose Manuel Ramirez, who were passengers on Flight 587.
“It seems like yesterday that I was five. That’s all I remember,” she said.
Now 15, she said her family makes sure their memories live on by constantly showing her pictures and telling her stories about them, including her favorite anecdote about how her parents first met.
She smiled when they said she was “the exact portrait of her mother.”
Kiana and her family were among the hundreds of mourners who attended the memorial service dedicated to honoring the 265 victims who lost their lives when Flight 587 crashed in Belle Harbor 10 years ago to the day.
“Lialette was a beautiful, giving person, always caring for other people. She’s definitely missed,” said family friend Melvin Thomas, who is also Kiana’s godfather. “It’s always hard to lose a loved one. They say time heals, but you never forget. It hurts every day.”
Frailin, the couple’s nephew, said he misses the way his uncle always made him laugh.
“He used to cheer me on and make a lot of jokes around me. He used to pick me up from school and he was always around the house. When I would come home, he would always look at me and say, ‘Get over here!’ Now, it’s like having a burden on your heart,” he said.
