“December 28, 1978 was a very special day! Excitement, joy and happiness filled my heart with love when I held my baby girl, Lorin for the first time. It was the perfect moment knowing my husband, Scott and I had a beautiful daughter to love and cherish for a lifetime.
Lorin was gifted in so many ways. At a young age she wanted to share what was hers with all of her friends. Throughout her years in school and in her career, she continued to give of herself to her friends, fellow athletes, coaches, co-workers, administrators, community leaders, but most importantly to her family. Her commitment to family did not stop with us, her parents and her brother, Christopher. She frequently visited her grandparents, aunts, uncles and all of her cousins. She was the oldest of the cousins and set high standards for them to follow. They looked up to her as their role model.
Lorin was positive, enthusiastic, and unselfish and dedicated to every task that came her way. Her disciplines with every facet of life made her successful in all of her endeavors. She was an academic and an All-American swimmer in high school and college and was the New Jersey Conference College Swimmer of the Year. Challenging herself to the highest level was her daily goal. Lorin’s ability to be a total team player, her motivation and her sportsmanship were attributes everyone admired.
As she approached each day, she was fulfilled knowing she made others happy. Whether it was assisting a co-worker with a project, coaching young children on a swim team, helping at athletic events, mentoring student-athletes, or volunteering with community activities and fundraisers; not one person will ever forget her genuine, infectious smile. The smile was always there and it represented her joy and happiness to be able to help others.
As her mother, I could envision all that would lie ahead of her. A promising career, a dedicated wife, a caring mother, an exercise enthusiast, a devoted friend to everyone that crossed her path, and the love she shared with her family were a few of the things she would be denied when Continental Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo, New York. Many people referred to her as “The Connector”. Once Lorin met you, you were connected to her forever. She never forgot a person she met and always stayed in touch with them. Lorin fell in love with a remarkable young man and wanted so very much to get married and have a family to love, nurture and support. Lorin’s hopes and dreams for a full life were taken away from her on the evening of February 12, 2009 when she died in the horrific airplane crash on Long Street.
I will no longer hear Lorin’s voice, see Lorin’s beautiful smile, give Lorin a hug when she walks into a room, read emails from Lorin, have lunch with Lorin, go on a shopping spree with Lorin including the day we would shop for her wedding dress. Lorin will no longer be able to share a vacation with her family or attend sporting events, dance recitals, plays and many other activities of her cousins. When our family gathers together for holidays and special events, there will be a void and a hole in my heart, because my lovely daughter, Lorin, will not physically be present.
December 28th will never be the same. That special day 30 years ago when I held Lorin in my arms for the very first time, a sweet and innocent baby who had the whole world in front of her for a lifetime of discovery and adventure was cut way too short. Her spirit will never leave me, but how I long to be able to hold her in my arms again and tell her how much I LOVE HER just as I did on the day she was born.
Please evaluate the cause of this airline tragedy carefully and make any necessary recommendations and regulations with aviation safety so another mother or anyone does not have to feel the pain and suffering I experience every day.”
Terry Maurer – Mother of Lorin Maurer
February 12, 2009
“10:15 PM – We are finally on our final approach into Buffalo International Airport. I am so excited to see Kevin. It has been three weeks since we were together in Indianapolis with my parents at the Butler basketball games. Celebrating his brothers wedding on Valentines Day will be very romantic and special. Kevin is a one of a kind man and he has made me so very happy. He is just what I have been waiting for in a relationship
10:16 PM – Oh my God, what is happening!!!!! The plane is twisting and turning in so many ways. This is very scary. The entire plane is falling so fast from the sky and everyone is extremely frightened. Please Lord do not make this my day to meet you in person. I have so much more I want to do. My life has only really begun after 18 years of education toward my goal of being an Athletic Director at a major university. My internship at the NCAA, Assistant Director of Marketing at the Mountain West Conference, and now Friends Group Manager at Princeton University has prepared me well. I love working with student athletes and I really think I have much to offer them through my personal experiences and new ideas.
Please Lord do not let this be my last day on earth. Kevin and I are so happy and looking forward to building our lives together. Mom and I will have so much fun looking for that perfect wedding dress for my special day. Dad has been looking forward to walking me down the aisle since the day I was born. They are so proud of me and love me so much. If I should perish their hearts will surely be broken for the rest of their lives.
I have also been blessed with a great brother. Now that we are older and done with our competitive sports we have more time to spend with each other. It has been so much fun making extended weekend trips to spend time together. While we were growing up I was always his “Big” sister giving him advice and supporting his efforts. We have a special relationship and I really look forward to the days when both of us have our own families with many children who will play together as we did growing up.
I am also the oldest grandchild on my mothers’ side of our family. All of my cousins look to me for guidance, mentoring, and love. We have so much fun together at family gatherings. There are so many years in front of us to carry on our families’ heritage, traditions, and legacy.
10:17 PM – Mom, Dad, Christopher, and Kevin all of the screaming has stopped. We are no longer falling through the sky as our plane has hit the ground very hard. It hurt really badly until all feeling left my body. I guess my final prayer was not answered and I have passed to the other side of life. Before I fully transcend let me again tell you how much I love and will miss all of you. Our family is the best and I’m really happy that I’m part of it. I already miss seeing your faces.
Let me ask that you do all that you can to prevent future families from losing their loved ones like this accident has done to us and the other families involved. Previous victims from other plane crashes have already been whispering to me that I shouldn’t be with them as this accident was preventable. Hold those responsible and accountable for aviation oversight (FAA and Airline Industry) to make things right in Safety.
Please also remember how I lived by being caring and generous to friends and family. Continue to live your lives in this same way as you have taught me and carry it out to others as I was doing. And lastly know that I will always be in your hearts until we meet again in heaven.
All my LOVE forever, Lorin”
Scott Maurer – Father of Lorin Maurer
“On that fateful night of February 12th, 2009, I waited for my girlfriend Lorin Maurer to arrive at the Buffalo airport. My brother Keith was getting married that Saturday on Valentine’s Day, and I was looking forward to watching Lorin smile and dance and laugh all weekend in a way that only she could. But then I found myself down in baggage claim crying on my phone as I woke up Lorin’s parents at one a.m. to break them the heartbreaking news.
In life, I have always been a dreamer. If I put my mind to something and believed in it with all my heart, I thought it would happen. When it came to finding the right girl, I never had much use for dating around; I just thought I would someday find that perfect person and everything would click. Well, it took me almost thirty four years to find her, but finally I met Lorin. We shared some amazing times together, not just in the fun things that we did, but in the thoughts that we shared, and in the way we made each other feel. There’s a great saying that friends have attributed to Lorin, ‘It’s a beautiful day, and it’s great to be alive.’ And that sums up how she approached life every day. That’s what I loved so much about her, and now that’s what I find myself missing so deeply.
The last thing that Lorin would want for me or anyone else to do would be to stop living on her account. So I cherish the many fond memories, and I struggle to push for positives each and every day. But I am human, and I can’t help thinking that I’ve been cheated out of the most wonderful thing that came into my life. And I am constantly haunted by the question of whether everything that possibly could have been done to prevent this crash was. For those who have influence in the aviation safety process, please do what you can to make sure this never happens to any other family again.
Lorin – I love you and I miss you.”
– Kevin Kuwik, boyfriend of Lorin Maurer
For a video tribute to Lorin Maurer, please Click Here.