Anniversary stories are a staple of the news business, and 2009 marks the anniversary of Payne Stewart’s memorable victory in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. Sadly, it also marks the 10th anniversary of the tragic death of Stewart and five others in a plane accident.
New York Daily News writer Christian Red has a poignant story on the families of Stewart and the others who died that day — Robert Fraley, Van Ardan, Bruce Borland, Michael King and Stephanie Bellegarrigue.
“Two of the five widows have remarried,” Red writes. “The children of the victims have grown, some have started families, others have finished high school and college, started careers. There have been milestones reached, other losses endured. The majority of the families and friends affected by the Oct. 25, 1999 crash, however, have found it difficult to feel a sense of closure in the years since the doomed flight came to its final resting place in Mina (S.D.).”
Stewart’s son, Aaron, …