Honoring Her Sister's Legacy on 9/11

A plaque across from the Belmont Lions Club on Common Street is inscribed with the names of Carlos Montoya, Ted Hennessey and Paul Friedman, the three Belmont residents who died in the terrorist attacks on Sept 11.

On the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attack this Saturday, Belmont resident and business owner Debby Fenn is also remembering her sister, Lisa Fenn Gordenstein.

Lisa, 41, was killed along with seven TJ Maxx co-workers on their way to LA for meetings, one of the 2,977 who died on 9/11.

Lisa is also connected to Belmont as the wife of David Gordenstein, owner of Zeff Photo Supply on Brighton Street. The couple had two daughters together.

Fenn remembers with painful clarity the morning of Sept, 11. Like so many others, she divides life before and after 9/11, as the date has become a pivotal moment in lives and history of the world. 

"If Lisa had died of an illness, all of us would have had time to say goodbye," she says. "Nor was this an accident, part of the risks of travel."

"This was terrorism, a public thing, useless, stupid and completely random. "

"Such an event," Fenn said, "also makes people lose their innocence about life, that there are others capable of such horrific plans and acts."

Fenn resolved to move beyond her grief.

"I internalized my sister, her drive to succeed, her resilience, along with her love of family, which we both shared.  She was my inspiration for starting Away It Goes, an organizing business. "

"My business enables people to organize their lives so they can spend more time on what matters most," she said.

For Fenn, what matters most is spending time with family and friends –
"in fact, to be appreciative of all of the blessings in life. "

According to Fenn, the morning Lisa left for the airport speaks to her character, what her boss called, "a heart as big as the ocean." Although early, she woke her girls, now teenagers but then seven and three, to say goodbye.  She also left a note for her husband about her personal philosophy.

"Events happen to people, but people choose how they handle events. She believed in maintaining a positive attitude, regardless of adversity. She left for the airport. It was just another day, another trip. The way she lived inspires others," said Fenn.