In Their Fathers’ Footsteps: Two Daughters, Two Legacies of Service

For many children of 9/11 victims, honoring their parents' legacy has proven to be a lifelong pursuit. For Olivia Perez-Johntry and Caitlyn McIntyre, that pursuit has led them to careers centered around helping others, demonstrating that service can take many forms. 

Olivia Perez-Johntry was just 10 years old on September 11, 2001, when her father, Anthony Perez, was killed in the North Tower of the World Trade Center. He was one of 658 Cantor Fitzgerald employees killed that day, the largest loss of any single company on 9/11. She recalls that morning vividly – first learning of the attacks in her 5th grade orchestra class. In the years that followed, she struggled to process her trauma, suffering from recurring nightmares, and avoiding talking about her dad.  

She found the support she needed in 2006, when she attended America’s Camp, a week-long program for children whose parents were killed on 9/11. She connected with other young people who could relate to her, finally giving her the space she needed to grieve while also learning how to be a kid again. 

As an adult, Perez-Johntry says she cherishes the memories she has of her father and the stories she hears about him from friends and family members, “to hear the love that he felt for me, I don’t think I can explain the gravity of that.” Today, Olivia is a high school science teacher, and she uses her 9/11 experience to reassure her students that they, too, can survive hardship. She is also involved with Tuesday’s Children, an organization that supports families who lost loved ones on 9/11.  

Caitlyn McIntyre’s father, Donald McIntyre, a Port Authority Police Officer, was killed on 9/11 when she was five years old. She, too, found solace at America’s Camp. She connected with people who shared her experiences and participated in activities, such as contributing a feather to the camp’s collaborative art project, The Phoenix.  

Inspired by her father’s life of service, Caitlyn became a nurse in 2018. She served through the darkest months of the COVID-19 pandemic, often noting parallels between her experience on the front lines of the pandemic and her father’s experience as a first responder on 9/11. In both cases, they put themselves at physical risk to help others despite not knowing what the outcome would be. In difficult moments, she gathered strength by thinking of her father’s bravery. “If he can do it, I can do it,” she said. Caitlyn even wore his badge number on her wrist as a constant reminder of his legacy.  

Both women experienced life-altering tragedy at an early age. Still, thanks to the support of their communities and the powerful legacies of their fathers, they have used their experiences to help others. As Caitlyn McIntyre says, “I try to turn something negative into a positive, I see the beauty in that.”