The husband of a woman who died during an engine explosion on a Southwest Airlines flight is finally speaking to the public about his late wife.
Last week, a Southwest Airlines plane blew an engine while flying, which led to a damaged fuselage and window. One passenger, Jennifer Riordan, was partially sucked out of the plane, even though she was wearing her seat belt. Passengers pulled her back inside the plane, but she did not survive.
Family and friends gathered for a funeral on Sunday for Riordan, who was widely known in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, area for her volunteerism and community engagement. She spent time volunteering for nonprofits while helping Wells Fargo move into the city.
Now her husband, Michael Riordan, is speaking out publicly about his wife in a new interview with CBS News.
He said he remembers the last thing she said to him.
One of the most comforting things through all this is she called me that morning, he told CBS. She just called to check in on the day, how, what we were going to do that night when she got home and we ended with I love you, safe travels.
According to USA Today, Riordan said he and his wife met 29 years ago at a shopping mall. He was 17 and his wife was 15.
He said he learned about her death when a chaplain from a Philadelphia hospital called. Moments later, a doctor joined the phone call and informed him his wife had died.
"The chaplain at the hospital called and said, 'We need to speak with Mike Riordan who is married to Jennifer. Are you married to Jennifer Riordan?' " he told ABC News. "I said, 'Yes, but she wasn't going through Philadelphia. She was planning on going to Chicago so I don't think you ' just absolute denial. I'm still in denial."
He said the first thing he thought of when he found out about his wifes death was how he was going to tell his children.
"I just held their little hands and took a knee and said, 'Mommy's not going to come home guys,'" he said.
Riordan said he still has a lot to live for, like his two children (Averie, 12, and Josh, 10). He said he knows they will ask about their mother in the future, but he has the perfect response.
"Kind, loving, caring and sharing," he said. "Every decision we make is going to be based on that. When I have those four little eyes looking at me, thinking how we're going to get through, that's going to make me a better dad, a better husband and a better person."
Last week, a Southwest Airlines plane blew an engine while flying, which led to a damaged fuselage and window. One passenger, Jennifer Riordan, was partially sucked out of the plane, even though she was wearing her seat belt. Passengers pulled her back inside the plane, but she did not survive.
Family and friends gathered for a funeral on Sunday for Riordan, who was widely known in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, area for her volunteerism and community engagement. She spent time volunteering for nonprofits while helping Wells Fargo move into the city.
Now her husband, Michael Riordan, is speaking out publicly about his wife in a new interview with CBS News.
He said he remembers the last thing she said to him.
One of the most comforting things through all this is she called me that morning, he told CBS. She just called to check in on the day, how, what we were going to do that night when she got home and we ended with I love you, safe travels.
According to USA Today, Riordan said he and his wife met 29 years ago at a shopping mall. He was 17 and his wife was 15.
He said he learned about her death when a chaplain from a Philadelphia hospital called. Moments later, a doctor joined the phone call and informed him his wife had died.
"The chaplain at the hospital called and said, 'We need to speak with Mike Riordan who is married to Jennifer. Are you married to Jennifer Riordan?' " he told ABC News. "I said, 'Yes, but she wasn't going through Philadelphia. She was planning on going to Chicago so I don't think you ' just absolute denial. I'm still in denial."
He said the first thing he thought of when he found out about his wifes death was how he was going to tell his children.
"I just held their little hands and took a knee and said, 'Mommy's not going to come home guys,'" he said.
Riordan said he still has a lot to live for, like his two children (Averie, 12, and Josh, 10). He said he knows they will ask about their mother in the future, but he has the perfect response.
"Kind, loving, caring and sharing," he said. "Every decision we make is going to be based on that. When I have those four little eyes looking at me, thinking how we're going to get through, that's going to make me a better dad, a better husband and a better person."
