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Anonymous (not verified)

February 24, 2020

My family and I went to visit the 9/11 memorial on July 9, 2012. Not having personally known anyone who perished on 9/11 we walked around the South pool and proceeded to the North pool. My husband took a picture of my daughter at the North pool and as I walked over I looked down at where my daughter was standing and saw the name "Amy Elizabeth Toyen" and I was awestruck. We live in Burlington, CT and the closest story to us that came out of 9/11 was of the woman from Avon, CT who died on the 106th floor of the North Tower. That woman was Amy Toyen. If we had wanted to find her name that day it may have been so difficult to do but instead we happened to walk over to the North pool and that was the one name I happened to look down to see. It sent chills through all of us and we felt a special connection to a woman we never even had the privilege to meet and yet know so much about. Our thoughts are with her family.

Posted by Nicole

Anonymous (not verified)

February 24, 2020

Twenty years ago I took a picture of a young lady with a bright smile as she walked into my classroom at Avon High School on the first day of school. Amy Toyen was energetic, kind, and creative. In world history class she would light up whenever I brought out the markers crayons and paper for mural projects. She died almost exactly ten years to the day after I took her picture. Since then I have been tempted to rummage through the pictures I had taken of students over the years to look for Amys but my grief prevented me from doing so. Recently I read that Amy s parents mustered the courage to visit the memorial in New York on the tenth anniversary. If they could face their emotions I figured I could too. After twenty years I found Amys picture and although I had to fight back the tears I used her story along with the words of her fiance to teach my students a lesson in tolerance. Amy may have passed but we are all better for having known her and hopefully a new generation of children will be more tolerant than those who came before them.

Published by Timothy M Curtis

Curtis J Reuschel (not verified)

September 08, 2021

I worked with Amy at Thomson Financial in Boston back in 2001. I was a Sales Representative and worked closely with the marketing department. Amy was ubiquitous bright and cheery presence in the office with an indelible smile. What a wonderful quality that is in someone.... Always having a smile. I will never forget that morning. I will never for Amy. May God bless her soul and family.

Posted by Curtis J Reuschel

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In Remembrance
Age:
24
Place of Residence:
Newton, MA
Location on 9/11:
One WTC
Occupation:
Thomson Financial
Reflections:
The New York Times Portraits of Grief
Amy Toyen Memorial Scholarship (Bentley College)
Biography:

Born on June 20, 1977, Amy was raised in Avon. She was a 1995 graduate of Avon High School, and a 1999 graduate of Bentley College. She was employed by Thomson Financial in Boston and lived in Newton. Amy was in New York attending a technology conference in the World Trade Center.

She loved music and art. Besides her parents, Amy is survived by her sister, Heather of Canton; her maternal grandparents, Ernest and Salena Blake of Longmeadow, MA; her paternal grandparents, Morris and Dora Toyen of Canton and Delray Beach, FL; her fiance, Jeffrey Gonski of Watertown, MA; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. We will dearly miss her.