Watertown funeral director recalls identifying victims after Sept. 11 attacks

JoAnn Ives, who operates TLC Funeral Home in the town of Watertown, was part of a Disaster Mortuary Operational Readiness Team that responded to New York City after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The team included funeral directors, forensic specialists, X-ray technicians and DNA experts who helped recover and identify victims.

At the medical examiner’s office, Ives said the work included X-rays, fingerprinting and DNA processing. She later volunteered at a family assistance center, where she helped families seeking information about missing relatives. Ives said memories of the response, including the sounds of fire trucks and the smell at Ground Zero, have remained with her.