John Swanson and his daughter Amanda Swanson-Myles used a lift rented to them by Rodgers & Sons to finish the mural. Photos courtesy of Amanda Swanson-Myles

SINCLAIRVILLE — Any way to honor those who were lost or impacted by one of our nation’s worst days can be a beautiful thing. When it’s done with a larger-than-life mural, the beauty of the gesture takes on a literal sense.

A few years ago, retired dairy farmer John Swanson had an idea to paint the silo on his farmland to memorialize the victims and all those impacted by the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. Last year, that idea transformed into a mural the full size of the silo, depicting the Twin Towers, flags to honor police, firefighters and the military, and a bald eagle painted like an American flag.

Now, two more prominent features have been added to the mural to honor the Pentagon and memorialize the victims of United Airlines Flight 93. All 44 people on Flight 93 were killed — including the four terrorists — after passengers of the flight heroically fought back against the terrorists’ cowardly attack on our nation and deterred the path of the plane to crash in a field about 150 miles northwest of Washington, D.C.

“We wanted to not just focus on the towers,” said Amanda Swanson-Myles, Swanson’s daughter, who helped complete the original mural and the additions this year.

When the memorial on Swanson’s century-old concrete silo was completed last year, Swanson and his daughter already hoped to someday add more to the mural. This year, with the help of Rodgers & Sons who once again provided the lift for the painting of the mural free of charge, the project was completed after eight days of work.

A year ago, Swanson — at 82 years of age at the time — painted the silo white, while his daughter, Amanda, helped complete the other artwork. The family duo first began on a ladder and got about halfway up the silo.

“Next year we’re going all the way to the top,” Swanson told his daughter.

“I just sort of laughed,” she said.

Then, it became a reality when Rodgers & Sons donated their lift to help get the job done. This year, on the eighth day with the lift, Swanson-Myles finished the final star on the Pentagon painting after sundown with the aid of her phone’s flashlight. She also used an app on her phone to serve as a protractor to accurately depict the shape of the Pentagon.

Although the family has no personal connection to the 9/11 attacks, they still felt the calling to act.

“When 9/11 happened, he felt very strongly about paying tribute to the victims,” said Swanson-Myles about her father. She recalls how he went to every utility pole in Sinclairville to tie ribbons to memorialize the victims and first responders of the terrorist attacks.

Visitors are encouraged to come see the memorial at 2637 Thornton Road in Sinclairville. “Last year, we had a huge response,” Swanson-Myles said, noting that the Sinclairville History Fair spread the word to the community and many first responders and citizens came by to take photos at the site. “Anybody is welcome to come take photos,” Swanson-Myles said.

And now, when daylight runs out, it won’t be up to cell phones to illuminate the mural. A solar light was installed on site to keep the artwork visible even at night. Though, the tangible lights are not the only glimmer on the memorial honoring those lost on one of our nation’s darkest days. A black cherry tree has grown out from the silo since the towers were painted on its side.

“We didn’t plant it, it just started growing after we painted the towers,” Swanson-Myles said. “It’s almost poetic.”