TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Among the millions of people who lost loved ones to the Sept. 11 attacks, a Tallahassee woman finds herself returning to New York City every year to honor her uncle and the other victims.

Gabrielle Gabrielli’s uncle, Richard Gabrielle, was one of the 2,977 victims who lost their lives on 9/11.

Twenty-five years may have passed, but for Gabrielli and so many others, the pain of that day and the aftermath are still very much in the present.

“It’s still so hard,” Gabrielli said. “Twenty-five years later, the grief is still incredibly strong.”

That’s why she goes back every year to make sure people remember each name represents a person deeply loved, like her uncle, Richard Gabrielle.

Richard Gabrielle was 50 years old when he died on Sept. 11, 2001. A son, brother, husband and father, he was known for his sense of humor and loved by so many.

“We would listen to Frank Sinatra together, and we would compare notes on how thrifty we were and we just shared a lot of common characteristics,” Gabrielli said.

Growing up, Gabrielli says she and her uncle were very close, living under the same roof at one point. But even when they lived in different cities, she’d use her school vacations to go see him.

“I have so many great memories with him; almost every memory I have with him is a positive one,” Gabrielli said.

That all changed the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Gabrielli was in her early 20s, working at West Point when she heard the news: a plane had hit the north tower of the World Trade Center.

“I started calling with both phones trying to reach him, and I could not reach him,” Gabrielli said.

That’s when she turned on the TV and watched as another plane hit the south tower.

“When I saw the south tower get hit, I knew that if he was at work, he was in the south tower and my heart just dropped,” Gabrielli said.

Richard Gabrielle worked on the 103rd floor as the vice president of the Aon Corporation. Gabrielli said her family later learned he was on the 78th floor, waiting for an elevator as people were trying to get out.

“My godfather and uncle, being the amazing person he was, stayed there on the 78th floor, cracking jokes with people, trying to lighten the mood a little bit,” Gabrielli said. “He didn’t take the first elevators he could have taken.”

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When the second plane hit, it hit the 78th floor; a marble slab fell on him, breaking both of his legs, pinning him underneath. After 25 years, the remains of Richard Gabrielle have never been recovered.

“There’s no gravesite,” Gabrielli said. “Going to [the National Sept. 11 Memorial] is my way of visiting him and paying tribute to him.”

After the attack, Gabrielli felt compelled to do something. She volunteered with the Red Cross, helping first responders at the pile.

“It was really hard,” Gabrielli said. “I remember the smell especially; I’ll never forget the smell. It was a smell of not just the building, but I believe I was smelling death, and it was so heartbreaking.”

Details about what happened to Richard Gabrielli were limited after the attack.

“For the longest time, we thought my uncle Richie died alone,” Gabrielli said.

Later, Gabrielli says the victims’ families were allowed to hear first responder recordings from that day. That’s when they learned Richard Gabrielle wasn’t alone.

Two men, Fire Marshal Ronald Bucca and Battalion Chief Orio Palmer, were there, trying to save him.

“There was comfort knowing that first responders made it to him,” Gabrielli said.

Years later, at a 9/11 commemoration ceremony, Gabrielli wanted to pay respects to the men who were with her uncle that day.

When she arrived at the panel with Palmer’s name, there was a family there. That’s when someone came up to her asking who she was there to see. When she said Palmer, the person revealed they were Palmer’s sister, Aggie.

Gabrielli believes this cosmic meeting was probably orchestrated by her uncle. Connected by their loss, the two became friends.

“I am so incredibly grateful for the friendship,” Gabrielli said. “For the family that I now get to spend time with every year.”

Gabrielli returns to the National September 11 Memorial every year to remember the 2,977 people who died that day.

“To honor the fallen who come from so many countries, who have so many stories, is so incredibly special,” Gabrielli said.

The National September 11 Memorial hosts a lottery system every year to pick victims’ family members to read the names of those killed. Gabrielli said she has been picked every year for 16 years, only missing one.

“To me, it’s probably the most important thing I do on 9/11,” Gabrielli said.

She even got the opportunity to read alongside Aggie one year and is doing it again this year.

“I like to learn who they are, where they were in their life, if they were a first responder, as much as possible,” Gabrielli said. “I like to learn their stories.”

This year is extra special for her, not just because of the 25th anniversary, but because most of her family is reuniting there for the first time. Gabrielli said for some, the grief from that day is still too much.

“They can’t even go on a plane, they can’t fly to [the 9/11 Memorial], they can’t go to New York, they don’t want to be there,” Gabrielli said.

While she still grieves, going back to the 9/11 Memorial year after year, reading the names and learning people’s stories has helped her heal.

This year there will also be a moment to honor a different group of people, those who have died since the attacks from Sept. 11-related illnesses. Gabrielli herself developed leukemia from volunteering at the pile.

On this 25th anniversary of the attacks, Gabrielli asks one thing.

“Please honor all the fallen, including my own family.”

On the way to her uncle and godfather’s funeral, Gabrielli put her grief into words, writing a poem that she shared.

“Your Spirit Lives On” For Richard S. Gabrielle, 12/14/1950- 9/11/2001

The loss, the sadness, the emptiness inside

The pain and grief we cannot hide

Somehow it still seems surreal

But beyond the ashes of devastation,

Together we must heal

Because your spirit lives on.

Your spirit lives in our memories.

You gave so much joy to our lives

50 wonderful years’ worth.

We cannot let one day of terror

Overtake the mirth.

Your spirit lives in our acceptance.

Everything in life happens for a reason,

We may never know the reasons why.

We thank God to have been blessed with you in our lives,

Though it’s not fair when people we love die.

Your spirit lives in our hearts.

You overcame and excelled.

A loyal husband, a devoted dad,

Gave your little girl love, support, and encouragement,

All the things you never had.

Your spirit lives in our hopes.

You made the most of everything

Though laughter sometimes hid the pain,

The little boy who lost his mom

Is finally in her arms again.

Your spirit lives in our minds.

You triumphed in the face of adversity

Successful in everything you tried.

Intelligent, compassionate, and kind;

Your passion for learning never died.

Your spirit lives in our faith.

Angel Gabriel is God’s great messenger

Telling us we must be strong,

Treating others as we’d like to be treated.

In your name we must carry on.

Your spirit lives in our unity.

You enriched our lives

From the day that you were born

But your power is stronger now than ever

As friends and strangers unite and mourn.

Yes, it’s time to say goodbye,

But only to the pain

We must grow from your great spirit

For you did not die in vain.

Your spirit lives on through our love.

Our lives are forever changed since the evil on nine eleven

But peace and freedom will prevail with your loving soul in heaven.

We must celebrate your life to heal,

Live our lives to the fullest to get beyond the pain.

You left this earth a hero

And your spirit will always remain.

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