Advertisement
U.S. markets closed
  • S&P Futures

    5,304.25
    -4.00 (-0.08%)
     
  • Dow Futures

    40,140.00
    -36.00 (-0.09%)
     
  • Nasdaq Futures

    18,465.00
    -38.75 (-0.21%)
     
  • Russell 2000 Futures

    2,145.20
    +6.80 (+0.32%)
     
  • Crude Oil

    83.11
    -0.06 (-0.07%)
     
  • Gold

    2,254.80
    +16.40 (+0.73%)
     
  • Silver

    25.10
    +0.18 (+0.74%)
     
  • EUR/USD

    1.0790
    -0.0003 (-0.03%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.2060
    +0.0100 (+0.24%)
     
  • Vix

    13.01
    +0.23 (+1.80%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2621
    -0.0001 (-0.01%)
     
  • USD/JPY

    151.3880
    +0.0160 (+0.01%)
     
  • Bitcoin USD

    70,694.53
    +947.59 (+1.36%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • FTSE 100

    7,952.62
    +20.64 (+0.26%)
     
  • Nikkei 225

    40,404.80
    +236.73 (+0.59%)
     

Memorial Service for Southwest Airlines Victim Jennifer Riordan Draws Thousands

Jennifer Riordan was remembered as someone who lived “hands on and heart open” at a New Mexico memorial service on Sunday, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

Nearly 2,000 friends, family members and supporters gathered the University of New Mexico — her alma mater – five days after the 43-year-old mother of two and bank executive was killed when Southwest Airlines Flight 1380’s left side engine exploded just 20 minutes into the trip. Riordan — who was wearing a seatbelt — was partially sucked out of the aircraft when debris from the explosion blew out the window next to her.

Jennifer’s cause of death was blunt impact trauma to her head, neck and torso, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health announced last week.

On Sunday, Jennifer’s husband Michael addressed the mourners first, according to a video of the service from local outlet KRQE. The couple’s children joined him onstage.

“Why’s everybody so quiet? This is a celebration,” he told the somber crowd with a laugh. “Jennifer was 10 minutes late to our wedding, so I’m paying her back a little bit.”

Michael asked those gathered to stand if they had every received a supportive note from Jennifer, heard her cheer for their children at a baseball game, enjoyed a glass of wine with her or worked with her to improve their city. In the KRQE video, the entire auditorium could be seen rising from their seats.

Jennifer Riordan
Jennifer Riordan

RELATED: Southwest Passenger Recalls ‘Struggle’ During Deadly Flight: ‘There Was Quite a Bit of Blood’

Jennifer’s friend Diane Harrison Ogawa encouraged attendees to “do as [Jennifer] did,” according to the Albuquerque Journal, and then looked to the future.

“We’ll reminisce about that time 10 years earlier when thousands of people pledged in their mom’s honor to step up,” she said of the service, according to the Albuquerque Journal. “To double our commitment to ask how we might help. To love out loud. To think daily about how we might care for each other and our community. That was the moment out of our collective heartbreak that our community looked to our strengths and our beauty and to each other and we began to change.”

Jennifer Riordan and Family
Jennifer Riordan and Family
Jennifer Riordan
Jennifer Riordan

A fellow passenger on the fatal flight from New York to Dallas last week previously opened up to PEOPLE about being seated in the same row as Jennifer. Hollie Mackey said she and a teen girl tried to help when Jennifer was pulled out of the plane following the explosion.

“I grabbed onto Jennifer’s belt loop area and wrapped my arm around her waist, and tried to pull her in. The little girl did, too,” the associate professor at the University of Oklahoma told PEOPLE.

Mackey added that despite their efforts, they couldn’t bring Jennifer back into the plane. Her seatbelt prevented her from being completed pulled out.

“It was more of a helpless feeling than anything else,” Mackey told PEOPLE. “With the altitude and that air pressure at that time, we were not physically able to move her at all… the air pressure was still too much.”

Jennifer Riordan and Family
Jennifer Riordan and Family

The NTSB believes metal fatigue on the 18-year-old Boeing 737 — flown by hero pilot, Tammie Jo Shults — led to one of the engine’s blades breaking mid-flight, sending shrapnel into the plane’s fuselage and breaking the window next to Jennifer.

Jennifer’s family announced Thursday the founding of a memorial website, The Jennifer Riordan Memorial Trust, where givers can support causes that were important to the mom, as well as help the family meet financial needs after the traumatic event.

“We appreciate the outpouring of support for our family and the love for Jennifer,” the family said in a statement provided to PEOPLE. “Hearing stories of how she impacted everyone in so many meaningful ways has truly touched our hearts. To honor her legacy, an official memorial site has been created to fund causes that were near and dear to her heart.”

Advertisement