168 names read aloud in solemn tribute at OKC bombing remembrance ceremony

At the 30th anniversary remembrance ceremony held at First Church in Oklahoma City, the names of all 168 victims of the 1995 bombing were read aloud in a moment of reflection and remembrance.

Each name served as a reminder of the individual lives lost on April 19, 1995, when a truck bomb exploded outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. Among the victims were federal employees, military service members, and 19 children.

The reading of names is a longstanding tradition that connects the community through collective grief and resilience. It also underscores the mission of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum: to honor those who were killed, those who survived, and those changed forever.

The Memorial’s Field of Empty Chairs and the Museum’s Gallery of Honor continue to preserve the legacies of the victims. Organizers of the memorial say their stories remind us of the devastating impact of violence and the responsibility to ensure such a tragedy never happens again.

Those who read the names include:

1. Hilary Johnson, daughter of Rebecca Needham Anderson, a rescue worker
2. Keri Strunk, daughter of Patricia Ann Nix, Dept. of Housing and Urban Development
3. Pat Kreymborg, son of Ann Kreymborg, Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, and brother of Michella A Reeder, Dept. of Transportation/Federal Highway
4. Carl Corall, nephew of Rick L. Tomlin, Dept. of Transportation/Federal Highway
5. Stephanie Ellingson, sister of Claudette (Duke) Meek, Federal Employees Credit Union
6. OKC Police Chief Ron Bacy
7. OKC Fire Chief Richard Kelley
8. Dioncé Thomas, daughter of Charlotte Andrea Lewis Thomas, Social Security Administration
9. Jamie Crockett, cousin of Airman 1st Class LaKesha Richardson Levy