Raymond J. Rocha

A NATION CHALLENGED: THE VICTIMS; A Last Glimpse of Disaster, a Last Telephone Call, a Last Kiss for the Children.” The New York Times, 6 Dec. 2001, nytimes.com.

“Everyone Raymond J. Rocha met, it seemed, became part of his large family, and he was constantly in touch. His girlfriend counted 28 weddings they went to in three years. Even his ex- girlfriends came to his sister’s wedding or his annual ski trip, where Mr. Rocha bought everyone walkie-talkies because cellphones would not work on the mountain. A prankster, he would leave rubber snakes in people’s beds. At a friend’s birthday party, he would wear a silly costume.

But he would also bake a beautiful cake. The youngest of five and a new bond trader at Cantor Fitzgerald, Mr. Rocha was cooking and balancing bank statements at an early age, in part because his mother, Ann Rocha, was losing her sight. “I loved to go shopping with him because he was very patient with me,” she said. “He would read me every ingredient.”

It was easy to tell when Mr. Rocha had been around. People would find that someone had marked March 27 on their calendars “Ray Day.” Plans were already underway for next Ray Day, when Mr. Rocha would have turned 30.”