As recovery efforts continue in the Potomac River, mourners gather across the street to pay tribute to the 67 lives lost in Wednesday’s tragic plane crash. Among them is a Texas artist who traveled over 1,300 miles to create a memorial, offering a place for healing and remembrance. NBC 5’s Alicia Barrera.
On Friday morning, Diana Kalin woke up early, drove to the store to buy flowers, and headed to Reagan National Airport.
“I went directly to DCA. They didn't set up anything there yet. I talked to the American Airlines manager, and they didn't have anything as of now,” Kalin said.
Watch NBC 5 free wherever you are
WATCH HEREKalin lives a short distance from the airport. She was home getting ready for bed when she learned about the mid-air crash that happened Wednesday night over the Potomac River.
“It’s a big deal. A tragedy, unfortunately,” Kalin said.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning with NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP Moved by the mass casualty and the stories of the victims, Kalin had hoped to find a memorial.
“I actually tried to find out where I could drop off the flowers,” Kalin said.
As she left the airport and drove past the crash site, she spotted a man dressed in black digging holes. She noticed a stack of crosses and some flowers. Kalin said she knew she had to pull over. That man was Dallas artist Robert Marquez.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
“Digging the hole reminds me of, you know, those lives that were lost,” Marquez said.
Marquez said he drove from Dallas to contribute to the healing process.
“No life should be lost,” Marquez said. “Especially when those tragedies can be prevented.”
Marquez said he began his day around 4:30 a.m. Friday to paint the crosses a shade of dark blue. He worked in the rain, cold temperatures, and blustery winds. Across the street, hundreds of first responders and investigators continued working to recover the remaining victims as well as debris from the American Eagle plane and Army Black Hawk helicopter.
The whistling of the planes was a constant reminder of the deadly crash.
“It makes me think that life is short, that we don't know what's going to happen in this second or the next minute,” Marquez said.
Kalin was the first person to stop and place flowers on Friday.
“This is a little thing I can do. It felt right,” Kalin said.
Marquez said he would return Saturday morning with more crosses. His goal is to set up 67 crosses displaying the name of each person killed in the crash.
Meanwhile, authorities said recovery efforts are expected to continue into the weekend.
