<p class="Picture">Two heart balloons intertwine as they float to the heavens, carrying messages of love from grieving parents. They were the last to ascend and the last to disappear into the setting sun. </p>
<p class="Picture">A friend made a cross for Joey Touri to memorialize the spot where he died. Touri was 18 when his car hit the tree next to the Park Avenue School playground. Joey loved Michael Jordan, who is No. 32. </p>
<p class="Picture">Ginger Acevedo makes her way to the top of the hill next to Park Avenue School with messages for her daughter written on yellow and purple balloons. She lost Gabby when she was 21. The soon-to-be college graduate died in a car accident on Feb. 4, 2011. “We always remember,” Acevedo said. “That’s why we’re here. They are the first thing you think about when you wake up and the last thing before you go to bed.” </p>
<p class="Picture">Maria Seguinot looks to the sky after blowing a kiss to her son, Christopher. He was 21 when he died on July, 20, 2014 in a car accident. He attended Harrison High School. </p>
<p class="Picture">José Gomez and Jacqueline Arredondo de Gomez support one another as they remember their 19-year-old daughter, Fernanda Gomez, who perished in a car accident with three of her friends on Sept. 1, 2013. Along with their daughter, the family honored her three deceased friends: Juliana Restrepo, 18, of Port Chester, Vincent Mendoza, 20, of Norwalk, Conn., and Bruno Vaccarezza, 19, of Greenwich, Conn. </p>
<p class="Picture">John Touri of Rye Brook lost his son just feet from where he released his balloons. Joey was 18 when he died on Nov. 21, 2014. “There are a lot of broken hearts here,” Touri said. The mourning father now stands at Joey’s memorial, a cross made by one of Joey’s friends and a plaque placed by the Village of Port Chester on and under the tree his car crashed into. His family is also dedicating a bench for which the ceremony will be held in Garibaldi Park in a few weeks. </p>
<p class="Picture">Jackie McNeill (left) and Shari Melillo watch their balloons dance across the sunset above Port Chester High School. McNeill lost her son Patrick 19 years ago after he went missing for 50 days on Feb. 16, 1997. His body was found on April 17 in the East River. “You learn to live with a broken heart every day,” McNeill said. Melillo’s son Charlie was 27 when he passed away on Oct. 21, 2012 from a head injury he received playing football. </p>
<p class="Picture">Six Port Chester and Rye Brook parents send messages written on balloons to the heavens. They knew their deceased children would be up in the sky waiting to catch the strings. </p>
<p class="Picture">Six Port Chester and Rye Brook families remembered their deceased children by releasing a bundle of balloons with messages like “My Angel Boy,” “We miss you,” and “We love you” written on them on Thursday, Sept. 22 next to Park Avenue School. This is the second year the parents have come together to honor their children in this manner. This tribute is done in conjunction with the Grieving Parents Worldwide Balloon Release, where parents from all over the world release balloons for their deceased children. </p> <p class="Byline">Photo Story by Casey Watts</p>
