LAURA GILLY: The Joy in Her
Voice
For
nine years, Laura Gilly traveled the world, all expenses
paid; a perk from her life as a flight attendant. She saw
Paris, she saw Rome, indulged in the exotic sights and
sounds of Egypt, Jakarta and Kuwait.
But the thrill of being up in the air, away from
family and friends eventually subsided. Ms. Gilly wanted
out of her job with Tower Airlines. "She wanted a 9-to-5,
so she could make plans without breaking them," said
Phyllis Gilly, her mother. "So many times she wasn't home
for Christmas or New Year's. She was really looking
forward to stability."
And 16 months ago, she found it in a job working in
technical support for Cantor Fitzgerald. Life was finally
sweet and somewhat predictable, and Ms. Gilly, 32, was
enjoying every minute of it, her mother said, recalling a
phone conversation she had with her daughter weeks before
Sept. 11.
The joy Mrs. Gilly heard in her daughter's voice has
made it all the more difficult accepting the irony of her
death. "We spent so much time worrying about her flying
here and there, and to have her go like this: killed by a
plane as she sat in an office building. All she wanted
was a real job at a desk in a building."
.
