In the 40 years since Diana Munson lost her husband, Thurman, in a plane crash, she’s had countless conversations with fans who tell her where they were when the accident happened and she never stops them.
Rarely, though, does what happened on Aug. 2, 1979, come into focus as much as it did Sunday, when Diana and the world learned that Kobe Bryant had been killed — along with his daughter Gianna and seven others — in a helicopter crash outside of Los Angeles.
“[Sunday] opened up a lot of wounds for me,’’ Diana said by phone Monday. “It brought back that day very clearly. And it brought back a lot of feelings. Feelings I’ve tried to suppress for years. But it’s always there.”
Munson’s plane, which he was piloting, crashed short of the runway at Akron-Canton Airport on a Yankees off day after a series in Chicago. The Yankees returned to action the next day at home against Baltimore.
After attending Munson’s funeral in Canton on Aug. 6, they flew back and played in The Bronx that night. Bobby Murcer, who had eulogized Munson earlier in the day, won the game with a hit in the bottom of the ninth.
“It was surprising for me, the reaction fans had,’’ she said. “I look at the tapes from the fans at the Stadium from that night and you realize how much they loved Thurman, how much he meant to them and the impact it had, which I hadn’t fully understood.”
“I can identify with the feeling of losing someone too young.” — Diana Munson
Bryant, while having been retired for four years, was a still a presence around the Lakers, and after news of the tragedy broke on Sunday, thousands of fans showed up at Staples Center, many wearing Bryant jerseys to pay tribute — even though there was no game.
“My reaction was just like everyone else, since the whole nation is in disbelief,’’ Diana said. “I’m heartbroken. We don’t lose heroes like this. Kobe was 41. Thurman was 32. I can identify with the feeling of losing someone too young.”
There were other similarities between Bryant and Munson, Diana said.
“The fact he was with his daughter and doing something with his children makes it so much harder,’’ she said. “You could see how much his family meant to him. That’s why everyone is struggling so much. He wasn’t just a basketball player, just like Thurman wasn’t just a baseball player.’’
And it’s that memory that Diana works to keep alive, not only by attending Old-Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium every year, but with her work with AHRC New York City Foundation.
“When it happens, you fear they’re going to be forgotten,’’ she said. “But this dinner and so many other things made sure that didn’t happen.”
The annual dinner began the year after her husband’s death when the organization reached out to Diana because of the work he had done with it. That relationship has helped keep his legacy alive for four decades and raised $16 million to assist children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It will host its 40th annual dinner on Feb. 4 at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. Gleyber Torres and Munson’s former teammate, Lou Piniella, will be among the honorees.
Diana Munson expects a similar legacy for Bryant.
“I think Kobe had a lot of the same characteristics Thurman had,’’ she said. “Family came first.”
Both men invested in flying to spend more time at home. Munson learned to fly to be able to fly home from road trips, while Bryant hired a helicopter to enable him to spend more time with his children while still playing. He and his daughter were on their way to a youth basketball game on Sunday.
Diana also had Bryant’s family — especially wife Vanessa — in her thoughts.
“I pray she is surrounded by love,’’ Diana said. “Her children will help her. Being a mom demands that you get back to life. I give my children [Michael and Kelly] so much credit for helping me carry on. They’re the reason I got up and wanted to go on. You have no choice. You’re still a mom. And faith is also important. When you’re by yourself, you have to dig the deepest and know that God is taking care of you.’’
And the conversations with strangers, while very difficult at first, will also be beneficial.
“You can feel the love,’’ Diana said. “Initially, when they’d start talking, I would start crying right away, but you end up wanting to thank them. I came to realize they needed to tell me what he meant to them.”
Diana finished with a message to Vanessa Bryant.
“I wish I could hug her and tell her everything is eventually gonna be OK,’’ she said. “You have to take it day by day and let the memories you and the fans have sustain you.’’
Source: Read Full Article