Letter written by flight attendant who died in 9/11 attacks makes it to her son 24 years later

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (WPTV) - A special arrival came by mail for a Florida man.

It’s a letter dated March of 2001 from a woman who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that same year.

Jevon Castrillo, the real recipient of the letter, lives in Fort Pierce.

“It’s like a piece of history right here,” Castrillo said.

He also called it “an ancient artifact;” it’s one that is full of praise.

“Dear Ms. Thurman, Jevon read a book last night that he brought home from the library. He read it from cover to cover. I told him I would write you a note and tell you what an outstanding job he did,” the letter starts.

The writer of the letter was Castrillo’s mother, Cee Lee Ross Lyles.

Lyles, a former Fort Pierce detective, was a flight attendant on board Flight 93 when it crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 11.

The letter was sent to Castrillo’s former kindergarten teacher, Tammy Thurman.

“Very touching. It seems very sweet and it seems like something she would definitely say,” Castrillo remarked.

Thurman kept the letter as she moved to four different schools in Lee County.

“As a mom, I know you need to see those words from your mom,” Thurman told Castrillo recently. “She was a wonderful woman and you were a wonderful student.”

Thurman even shared a class photo.

A father now to a 3-month-old, Castrillo said he’ll continue to make his mother proud since he knows she was proud of him.