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2,996 is a tribute to the victims of 9/11.

On September 11, 2006, 2,996 volunteer bloggers
will join together for a tribute to the victims of 9/11.
Each person will pay tribute to a single victim.

We will honor them by remembering their lives,
and not by remembering their murderers.

I saw this link and I knew that I had to join this. I really can not tell anybody why. It just seemed like the right thing to do, and that I had to do it.

So When I joined I was sent an Email and I was given a name

The name was Francis X. Deming

What I found out was that he was 47 years old when he died, he worked at the WTC for Oracle and that he loved God and that he loved his family. I can think of no better words than those to honor this man.

Francis X. Deming



Solid Man, Quiet Hero


Francis Xavier Deming was not a peacock. He was not ostentatious, flashy or loud. He was a solid man who bowed to God. "He was the quiet hero," said his sister Rose Deming-Phalon. "He worked hard and he worked a lot. He loved his family and he is missed."

By his sister's account, Mr. Deming, 47, was one of the workaday Americans who is never celebrated. He went to his job as an accountant at the Oracle Corporation and came directly home to Franklin Lakes, N.J. He taught his five children to swim. He was active in his church, Most Blessed Sacrament. He built furniture. He was a man who did not lean on others, but whom others leaned on.

His last day on earth is a good example. There is a record of it in a message he left for his wife on their answering machine. He and a group were fleeing the 99th floor of 1 World Trade Center. "Get down low so you can breathe better," he told the group. And then: "What happened to the people who were behind us?"

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on November 2, 2001.


Francis X. Deming age 47, of Franklin Lakes, missing from World Trade Center since Sept. 11, 2001. Beloved husband of Brooke (nee Flynn). Devoted and adored father of Brian, Craig and Christopher, and step-father of Jeffrey and Brooke. Loving son of Ann Deming of Pequannock and the late Thomas J. Deming. Frank will be sorely missed by brothers Thomas of Towaco, Patrick of Mine Hill, Michael of Auburn. N.Y, and Robert of Monroe, NY.: and sister Rose Phalon of Pequannock. He also leaves behind many nephews and nieces, aunts and uncles, in-laws, cousins and friends. Frank was a member of Most Blessed Sacrament R.C. Church in Franklin Lakes.

He was employed by Oracle Corp as a practice director, working in the offices of Marsh McClennan on the 99th floor of Tower One of the World Trade Center. Prior to that he was employed as consultant by Exxon, TRW, Price Waterhouse, Coopers & Lybrand and Anderson consulting. He was a 1968 graduate of Holy Spirit Elementary School in Pequnnock and a 1972 graduate of Pequannock Township High School.

He graduated William Patterson College in 1976, and completed his Master's at Business Adminstration degree at Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1979. A strong believer in honest hard work. Frank held a number Jobs, including those of a cook in W.T. Grants' in Pompton Plains and member of the National Ski Patrol, to pay for his education. These will be among the many qualities he will pass along to his family. Frank was an avid sportsman, whose activities always included his family. He was a accomplished skier and boater.

Many of his happiest days were spent aboard his boat, the Good Times, water skiing on Lake Hopatcong or just enjoying a quiet sunset on the water. Although Frank's professional background was in accounting and computer software systems, he was also very good with this hands. Whether plumbing, electric or carpentry, there was rarely a project, repair or improvement in his home he could not handle. And he could always be counted to lend a hand to a family member or friend. When he found time to relax Frank and Brooke could often be found dining at Aldo's in Wyckoff,

Frank's friends and family are invited to Join in celebration of life Saturday, September 29 at 9:45 a.m. at Most Blessed Sacrament Church, 787 Franklin Lakes Road, Franklin Lakes, N.J. 07417. In lieu of flowers contributions in Franks' name may be made to The American Red Cross and The American cancer' Society.

Paid Notice published in THE BOSTON GLOBE on September 27, 2001.


Francis X. Deming, 47, an avid boater


Francis X. Deming of Franklin Lakes named his motorboat Good Times, and not without reason.

"Most of his time was spent on Lake Hopatcong boating with his wife, Brooke, his children and friends," said Robert Vreeland, a longtime friend who shared Mr. Deming's enthusiasm for water sports.

"Frank was an avid sportsman, whose activities always included his family," Vreeland recalled. "He was an accomplished skier and boater. Many of his happiest days were spent aboard his boat, water skiing or just enjoying a quiet sunset on the water."

Mr. Deming, 47, also enjoyed his job as a practice director for the California-headquartered Oracle Corp., a data-based software developer. At the time of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, Mr. Deming was at work as an Oracle consultant in the offices of Marsh McClennon on the 99th floor of the North Tower.

Although his professional background was in accounting and computer software systems, he was described as very good with his hands. Whether it was plumbing, electrical work or carpentry, there was rarely a repair or improvement project in his home that he could not handle. Family and friends could always count on him for his skills.

Mr. Deming was a 1968 graduate of Holy Spirit Elementary School in Pequannock and a 1972 graduate of Pequannock High School. He graduated from William Paterson College in 1976 and completed his master's of business administration degree at Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1979.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Deming is survived by his mother, Ann Deming of Pequannock; his children, Brian, Craig and Christopher, and stepchildren, Jeffrey and Brooke; four brothers, Thomas of Towaco, Patrick of Mine Hill, Michael of Auburn, N.Y., and Robert of Monroe, N.Y., and a sister, Rose Phalon of Pequannock.

A celebration of life ceremony will be held at 9:45 a.m. Saturday at the Most Blessed Sacrament Church, 787 Franklin Lakes Road, Franklin Lakes.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Mr. Deming's name may be made to the American Red Cross and the American Cancer Society.

Profile by William Gordon published in THE STAR-LEDGER.













I have learned something over the years that I was a police officer, "You can tell alot about a man when he has a huge crisis and you see how he reacts to it."

I noticed that on the phone call to his wife, he was heard telling his people to get low to the ground and wondering where the people were that were just behind in his group as they were trying to escape the WTC.

This tells me what kind of a man he was, he was worried about his fellow man. He loved God, His Family, and his fellow man. We should all try and follow this example.