The day bin Laden died a good day for 9/11 victim’s parents

The broken heart still beats. Despite unspeakable tragedy and the excruciating passage of time, life continues.

Don and Francine Cherry were reminded once more of that painful life lesson this past weekend.

Don, known to a generation as the singing golfer who had a hit in 1955 with "Band of Gold," recently felt discomfort in his chest. Although he's remained in good physical shape, when a man reaches 87, it never pays to ignore heart pain.

So Francine made sure her Don went to the hospital to get checked out. When the tests were finished, and the patient was released, it was further proof the broken heart still ticks.

It was also a reminder that, if you hang in there long enough, there will be good days.

For Don and Francine, Sunday was one of those.

The couple returned to their Las Vegas home in time to learn the news that, across the world in Abbottabad, Pakistan, a team of U.S. Navy Seals had killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, the most notorious terrorist in the world.

Bin Laden's al-Qaida was responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people. Don's son, Stephen Cherry, was among them.

Stephen was a partner at Cantor Fitzgerald with an office on the 104th floor of
1 World Trade Center. He was at his office on the morning al-Qaida terrorists hijacked commercial airliners and flew them into the towers. He was among the 658 Cantor Fitzgerald employees killed.

Stephen was gone at 41, but he was far more than a successful securities broker. He was a proud father who loved to make music like his dad.

That was almost a decade ago. With every passing year, Don Cherry had hoped to make some sense of the senseless loss of life. Back in 2004, he followed the investigation of the 9/11 Commission but found little solace or satisfaction in its findings.

Some acts of evil defy rational analysis. He knows that now.

On Sunday, reports of bin Laden's death roared through the media. Don and Francine at first didn't know what to think, but they quickly welcomed the story. It was like opening the curtains of a long-darkened room and letting in a slash of sunlight.

"Everybody is writing us from all over, even Australia, and saying they're thinking about us today," Francine says. "Finally, some good news."

Don says simply, "Thank God something like this has happened."

When he first heard the news, Cherry thought, "We have finally had some success with that idiot who has been trying to kill us."

Crowds of citizens in Washington and across the nation on Sunday were seen waving American flags; Don and Francine felt more a sense of relief than elation. An evildoer at last was dead, but nothing can undo the misery he helped cause.

Always there is the picture of Stephen, the hardworking and squared-away successful businessman, husband and father of four.

"I spoke to him two days before he was killed," Francine recalls. "He was such a good human being. He had his own band. He once said to his dad, 'Oh, if I could sing a quarter like you, I'd be thrilled.' He adored his father."

The feeling was mutual.

"It's something you think about all your life, " Don says. "He was my best friend and probably the closest friend I've ever had. He was such a good man. He took such good care of everyone. He was something else."

It's been almost 10 years now.

But as President Barack Obama put it, this was a "good day for America." The symbolism of bin Laden's demise is important to this ailing nation.

Even if it can't mend the hearts he broke.

John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith.