Mother commemorates memorial anniversary for late Tucson Veteran

ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — A mother brought her friends together to celebrate the life of her late daughter on the first anniversary of her memorial.

This bench at the Arizona Heroes Memorial is meant to honor Veteran Margaret Langston, a Coast Guard EMT who lost her life in a helicopter crash while saving lives back in 2019.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of this memorial, and Margaret’s mother, Susan Day, invited all her friends to tell them about the incredible life Margaret lived.

Day sits with Margaret at her memorial every chance she gets, reminiscing about the amazing person her daughter was.

"Maggie came into the world with a smile," Day said. "She wanted to better herself. So when she found the EMT, she knew it was something medical. But when she found the EMT, it was like that light bulb in your head that goes off and goes, 'This is it.'"

Susan Day says that the spark to help people is what she loved about her daughter.

"Margaret was one of those people who would walk into an emergency and take over and find out what was needed, and take care of them," Day said.

So when Margaret passed in the line of duty, a memorial was put up right here to honor her legacy.

"She’s my Maggie," Day said. "She is just phenomenal, and so this gives me a place to come and talk to her spirit."

Day brought her friends here to pay respects. Moved by Margaret, they placed a wreath filled with her favorite flowers.

"Maggie’s legacy is what we started for her, and that’s perpetual," Day said. "It will keep going, and then this memorial will be here long after I’m gone. People will come see Maggie and read her story."

While Margaret Langston is no longer with us, Day says her legacy will continue with a scholarship at Pima Community College in her name.

It's open to anyone who wants to be an EMT and dreams of saving lives like Maggie did.