McAuliffe’s Grave on a Hillside Overlooks City Where She Taught
Sharon Christa McAuliffe, the teacher who likened her space mission to a pioneer woman’s journey to the American West, was buried Thursday in a hillside cemetery overlooking the city where she taught school.
In a brief statement, the family announced that the Concord High School social studies teacher had become the first of the seven Challenger crewmen to be buried.
McAuliffe, 37, and the six others in the space shuttle crew were killed Jan. 28 when Challenger exploded 73 seconds after blastoff from Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
“A private Roman Catholic interment service was held at 11 a.m. for S. Christa McAuliffe,” family spokesman Michael Callahan said. The service at Calvary Cemetery was conducted by McAuliffe’s cousin, Father James Leary.
“The family conveys its deep gratitude to all who respected its privacy in these moments,” Callahan said.
Immediately after the ceremony, workers removed flowers from the bare grave site, presumably to direct attention away from it. There is no marker and there was no indication from Callahan as to when one might be erected.
McAuliffe captured the imagination of the world after she was chosen for the flight last July.
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