Mom was suppose to fly home on EA401.
Posted by J W Ford on February 13, 2010, 10:31 pm
I remember as a kid being glued to the TV when the breaking news story was being told after the crash of EA401. It was a surreal feeling we all had. My mom, Joyce Ford, was scheduled and ticketed to fly back to Miami on EA401 after visiting her sick father (my grandfather) in Queens, NY. She flew up on EA MIA/JFK on 12/26. My mom got sick while in NY and did not want to fly home that night. My grandfather along with my uncle (her brother) all encouraged her to fly home and just get on her way. They teased her for not going. "In 3 hours you'll be home," they said. "Just have a cocktail and sleep" my grandfather said. She just didn't want to make the trip that night. "I'll go tomorrow" she said. Thank God she didn't go through with her ticketed travel plans. We were all in shock watching the news of the rescue teams. We frantically called NY to confirm mom wasn't on EA401. It would be just like her to say she wasn't coming and want to surprise us and fly anyway! Luckily there were no surprises. She was just too sick. Back in '72 passengers could reschedule and cancel their tickets without penalty and financial hardship, unlike today. If today's ticketing rules were in effect back then my dear mom may have pushed herself to make EA401 and our lives could have been changed forever. Only God knows if she would have been one of the lucky survivors. Mom was only 29 years old the night she cheated death. A husband and two little boys waiting for her back in Miramar. We were lucky to have her in our lives another 12 years until she lost her battle with leukemia at the tender age of 41. I guess cheating death a second time wasn't in the cards. My heart goes out to all the victims of EA401 and heir families. May God Bless them always. I would be honored to help contribute to a permanent EA401 Memorial at the crash site. It is well overdue. God bless all the survivors and all the work they've done to make this memorial a reality.
|