The Waterbury Times|Sept 11, 2026

Waterbury-For Faithalee Goclowski, September 11 carried a weight this year that extended far beyond the history being remembered at Waterbury City Hall.

Goclowski, a candidate for Connecticut’s 75th District, stood at the city’s 9/11 memorial Friday as Waterbury joined communities across the country in remembering the lives lost 25 years ago.

She did so while her own family is navigating an unimaginable loss.

Goclowski’s son was recently tragically murdered, a loss that has brought grief to her family at a time when she is also continuing her work in the community and on the campaign trail.

Yet on Friday, she was there.

At City Hall.

At the memorial.

Remembering the nearly 3,000 people whose lives were taken on September 11, 2001, while carrying a tragedy of her own.

There is no political message necessary in a moment like that.

There is simply a person standing among other people, remembering lives lost and continuing to move forward despite the pain she is carrying.

For Goclowski, that decision to continue showing up has become part of how she is navigating an extraordinarily difficult chapter of her life.

The 25th anniversary of September 11 has prompted a national conversation about remembrance, grief and the way tragedy continues to affect people long after the day itself has passed.

For those who experienced 9/11, the memories remain vivid. For younger generations, it is increasingly an event they learn through history, classrooms and the stories of those who lived through it.

But grief does not operate on a timeline.

A memorial can bring back memories from 25 years ago while also reminding someone of a loss that happened much more recently.

That may be part of what made Goclowski’s presence at City Hall particularly poignant.

She did not have to be there.

She chose to be.

And in a city where people know one another not simply by titles or political affiliations, but through the lives they live and the families they raise, sometimes simply showing up says enough.

The Waterbury Times extends its condolences to the Goclowski family during this difficult time.

And today, as Waterbury remembers those lost on September 11, we also recognize the many families who continue to carry their own losses long after the cameras leave and the memorial ceremonies end.

Some grief is measured in 25 years.

Some in 25 days.

Some is so new that there are still no words for it.

But people continue to show up.

They continue to remember.

And, somehow, they continue forward.

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