FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A letter came to my attention at the television station the other day. The letter's recipient lives in Fort Pierce.
It was for Jevon Castrillo, dated March of 2001. I handed it to him Tuesday and as he opened it up, he could see it was full of praise. I asked him to read it aloud.
WATCH BELOW: 'Thank you so much for both the roles you guys played in getting me this note,' Jevon Castrillo told WPTV
"Dear Ms. Thurman, Jevon read a book last night that he brought home from the library. He read it from cover to cover. I told him I would write you a note and tell you what an outstanding job he did. We are very proud of him and will continue to work with him at home. Again thank you for your dedication and courage for the job that you do. Cee Cee Lyles.”
Castrillo teared up.
“Very touching…" he said. "It seems very sweet and it seems like something she would definitely say, you know."
The writer of this letter, Jevon Castrillo’s mother, was Cee Cee Ross Lyles. The former Fort Pierce detective was a flight attendant on board flight 93 that crashed in Shanksville, Pa. on Sept. 11.
The letter was sent to me by Castrillo’s kindergarten teacher, Tammy Thurman. Thurman told me she kept this letter as she moved to four different schools in Lee County. I managed to get Castrillo and Thurman together on a Zoom call Tuesday.
“As a mom, I know you need to see those words from your mom. She was a wonderful woman and you were a wonderful student," said Thurman.
Thurman even sent along a class photo.
“Thank you so much for both the roles you guys played in getting me this note. You guys did great," said Castrillo.
A father now to a 3-month-old, Castrillo tells me he’ll continue to make his mom proud, since he knows, she was proud of him.
